Goodbye Now, Hello Tomorrow
by Fireflyleo
Summary: Blood stains the floors now. It's all over the place. His hair, his body, his face. "I need to leave," Naruto decided. And now years later what tales does Naruto have to tell. Warnings inside.
1. Suggestion Suicide

**Author's Note: I wrote this some time ago, but never published it, so the story takes place before Pain enters the picture, Asuma is dead, but Jiraiya and Kakashi are very much alive.**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto. If I did, Naruto would be a little emo kid and sexier than Sasuke.**

**Warnings: Attempted suicide in this chapter. If the topic makes you feel uneasy just brush through it. I promise you'll live.**

**Side notes:**

"…" - speaking out loud.

'…' - thinking.

"**Bold" - **Kyuubi speaking to Naruto.

_Italic – _Short flashback

Goodbye Now, Hello Tomorrow

Suggestion: Suicide

Six years. Six long much needed years of solitude and pure bliss. It had been six years without the people of fire country. Six years without the members of the hidden leaf, and six years of joyfully running away from demon hunters looking for the head of the carrier of the nine-tailed fox with no luck for the hunters. It had also been six years of living without the beatings and the sneers. Six years without the having to hide his feeling and run away from his tears. Six years of basic, much-needed peace.

However, his time away hadn't all been sunshine and daisies. He had been though things that made him grow as both a ninja and a person. Horrible missions that left him close to death and bleeding everywhere, but in the end it had been completely worth it. He had found real friends that trusted him and believed in him unlike the so-called "friends" he had had in Hidden Leaf.

No one, not a single one, had questioned his departure or even tried to stop him, not that they knew he was leaving anyway, but it didn't matter because the day he left he had finally convinced himself that they didn't care, not even a little, and from what he knew that was still the absolute truth. As far as he knew only one person had tried to find him, and he assumed that it was probably because he wanted to kill him for the power to destroy his own personal boogieman.

That one day, six long years ago, had changed him from the smiling, obnoxious kid he had been on the outside to the serious, icy-cold teen he secretly was on the inside. That day, his mask of happiness shattered into a million pieces by hearing those words; hateful words shattered the heart of a fragile child with no parents and nothing to hold on to but his own hopes and dreams. Hearing the truth fall from the lips of those he loved, protected, and trusted destroyed him and forced him to do the unimaginable. After all, even though not a word of it was true, who was he to call them liars?

/Flashback – Six years ago/

A blonde boy of approximately fifteen years of age lay in the grass in the after glow of a good training session. He had been practicing his taijutsu skills and chakra control, and the blue-eyed boy was absolutely exhausted. However tired he might have been, he couldn't help but let his mind wander onto a somewhat foreboding topic: the topic of one Uchiha Sasuke. The youth that had been resting in the back of his mind for the last three years, the betrayer that had tried to kill him not once but twice, the second having been no more than a month ago during their little reunion after over two and half years of separation.

'Damn it, Sasuke. What the fuck is your problem?' he thought lazily.

As Uzumaki Naruto thought about the nuke-nin and their recent meeting, he couldn't help but remember the very dangerous hug the Uchiha had given him during their crossing. He remembered the feeling of the cool metal as it hovered just above his skin. He also remembered, with a slight frustration, that the dark youth had still been taller than him. He thought back on the words the Sharingan wielder had bestowed on him.

'He wants to break all ties with me, and he was once again willing to kill me, but why didn't he do it the first time when it would have been all too easy? Why didn't he try harder to do it this time?'

So many questions of this type had plagued Naruto nonstop for the last three years. It kept him up at night and denied him proper training time. They even strained his mind to point of not eating or sleeping. He was unable to sleep because of the recurring dreams that haunted his mind of a phantom kiss ghosting over his rain-drenched lips in a sad farewell. He would ask himself if it was real, but had to have been his imagination acting up again, or it may even have been the sadistic nature of Kyuubi causing the fox to make him suffer in his own dreams, but no matter how hard he thought on it, or how often he had the dream, he just couldn't answer the damn question.

In exasperation, he threw up his arms and huffed into a sitting position. He had to distract himself once again from the topic that ate at him and unnerved him to no end.

"Fucking, Sasuke. Always mind-fucking me," he had whispered these words out loud to himself in an attempt to get off of this train of thought. Thankfully, it worked as he promptly heard his stomach grumble in annoyance at its lack of sustenance. He laughed internally at his body's childish display.

"Oh well guess I better go get my ramen."

And with that, a protective smile plastered on his face, he headed back into the village to comply with his body's demands.

The murmurs of hatred fluttered around Naruto's ears.

"Demon brat."

"Scum."

"Why doesn't that _thing_ do what it should and just kill itself already, and do us all a big favor!"

Naruto kept walking with his head bowed to the whispers that were just loud enough to hurt him. Somehow he managed to keep the smile pasted on his face, so they didn't see the stinging pain the words were inflicting upon him.

"It's all his fault the Great Uchiha left us."

And with that comment he ran. He ran forward, blindly to a sanctuary that didn't exist. He finally brought himself to a stop by a small tea shop. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath when suddenly a tea cup was thrown at him from inside the shop.

"Get the fuck away from my shop, Demon, before I give you a good lesson on loitering!"

He took off again, smile long gone, and close to tears.

'I need somebody. Anybody… I know, Sakura.'

With that thought he took off to the center of town where the market was. No doubt she would be there on her day off.

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As he neared the marketing district, the whispers followed him. He was crying on the inside when he finally a bright pink blur of hair followed closely by a mass of neatly cut black hair that was most likely Sai. Spirits brightened momentarily, he ran forward hoping to surprise her, but he stopped short hearing that they were talking about him.

"Didn't you miss Naruto at all while he was gone?" asked Sai stunned at the words that were coming from the obnoxious girl's mouth.

"Not at all, and now that he's back, he's as annoying as ever."

Unknown to Sakura, Naruto heard this. Sai, on the other hand, knew that Naruto was right behind them from the spike in chakra signature. Smirking he decided to push the issue further in hope of hurting and gaining a new insult against their blonde teammate.

"So, what would you have done if Sasuke had taken Naruto's life that day last month?" Sai could almost feel the waves of angst coming from the blonde standing behind them.

"I don't know. Probably nothing. I mean if Sasuke had killed Naruto then he would have come back to the village with all the power he needed to kill Itachi. Then he would get his revenge and finally ask me to marry him." At this point she had a very dreamy, heart eyed expression on her face. It was starting to disturb Sai.

"So, you wouldn't miss Naruto at all?"

"Nope. Well…"

Naruto ran away for the third time that day, tears pouring down his face. He ran to Iruka's house to find him gone, probably at the Ninja Academy, and Iruka wouldn't want him disturbing him while he was teaching, so he went to the Bar-BQ in hopes of finding Shikamaru, Chouji, or even Ino. They were their, but they were so engrossed in themselves they didn't even notice the blonde hover by the door until he had taken off again. This time he ran to Tsunade's office. Not bothering to knock, he ran in. She didn't even look up from the mountain of paper work in front of her.

"What do you want, brat? I'm busy."

"But Baa-chan…"

"What is it, Naruto?!"

He stayed silent, hoping that she would look up at him. She never did.

"If you are just here to bug me, then scram. I don't need you wasting anymore of my time." She never saw the pained expression etched across his face.

He ran out of the office and into the street, running into people accidentally just to be insulted and shoved out of the way.

"Why don't you hurry up and die, demon scum."

"It's your entire fault he's gone, you monster!"

"Worthless piece of fuck shit. How can you live with yourself?!"

He fought desperately to hold by his tears, but it was all in vain. Streams of clear salty liquid were streaming down him face as he ran. He ran to the Hokage Mountain where he cried his sorrows away for the rest of the day waiting for his sadness and depression to empty out, but no one ever told him that emotions never run dry. It wasn't until dusk that he decided to return to his apartment emotionally drained, tired, and alone.

He got up slowly almost as if he was in a trance and began to walk down the mountain towards his small apartment. His ears perked up at the sound of voices heading his way. Instinctively, he ducked behind a bush close to his left and hid his chakra as best as he possibly could which made it undetectable by even the strongest ninja.

He watched as two figures entered his line of sight. The two figures turned out to be Kakashi and Yamato have a conversation about Naruto's current training. Currently, it was Yamato speaking.

"Do you think he will ever be able to master blending rasengan with wind chakra? He's been coming along quite nicely as of yet."

"I'm not sure. It is a very tricky thing to do. I'm not sure if he has the skill, yet."

The small gleam that had returned to his eyes at Yamato's statement was extinguished with the words of Kakashi.

'Why would you say that Kaka-sensei?' thought Naruto sadly.

"It's not that I don't believe in the kid; it's just that he's not…" Kakashi trailed off not wanting to finish his sentence.

"He's not Sasuke," Yamato finished for him.

Kakashi didn't answer Yamato's statement, but Naruto knew that that was the bottom line. He wasn't Sasuke. He could never be Sasuke. He wasn't worth all of the training he was getting from Kakashi because he was never Sasuke.

"Is it true that before Sasuke left, you had never personally trained Naruto?"

"I suppose that is true."

"Why did you neglect him so?"

Naruto couldn't take this. He wanted to run. He wanted to flee. He wanted to leave before Kakashi answered that question, but something compelled him to stay. He wanted to know. Deep down he wanted to know.

"I didn't see anything in him worth training. He was nothing like me, and Sasuke was everything like me."

'So that's it. That's why.' Naruto's once bright blue eyes darkened considerably as one final tear of angst fell from his face and dripped to the ground to disappear forever with no one ever knowing it was ever there. Naruto closed his eyes in pain and heartache.

In the darkness of his sight, he saw a glass mask fall. It was painted with blue eyes and gold covered the cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin. A wide smile portrayed the focal point of the mask as it was accentuated with laugh lines and dimples. Three whisker marks decorated each side of the mask leading away from the carved smile. He watched as in a split second, it hit the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces never to be repaired.

As he opened his eyes, the sound of broken glass deafened his ears to the rest of the conversation. He sat in place void of emotion. Blue eyes that once shined in the daylight grew dull as the sun set on them never to light them up again in the same manner. He was broken.

Lying on his bed after a dragged walk back to his apartment, he contemplated everything that he had heard that day.

"_Why don't you hurry up and die, demon scum."_

Die. Death. Words he had thought about often in his childhood.

_"Why doesn't that thing do what it should and just kill itself already?"_

Kill myself. Suicide. That sounded like a good idea at the moment. He could never please people in his life, maybe he could make them happy with his death. That's what being a shinobi was about wasn't it. Pleasing the people he worked for, and he worked for the villagers, didn't he?

Like in a trance, he rose from the bed and made his way to the bathroom. He reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of sleeping pills Jiraiya had given him in the two years they were training together so he could sleep properly. He went back to his room and placed them on the vanity. He walked into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. As an after thought, he pulled a kitchen knife out of its holder on the counter and returned them both to his room. He placed them beside the pill bottle.

Now he had to think. Should he just take all the pills in the bottle and sleep for the rest of eternity? Or should he slit he wrists and bleed out slowly onto the floor watching his life essence drain away? No, he knew what was to be done. He should perform both methods just to be safe. Knowing it would take longer for the pills to affect him, he decided to take them first.

He opened the bottle and poured the remaining twenty pills into his hand. Taking five at a time, he had swallowed them all with four swings of water. At this point he was rather drowsy, so he knew that he didn't have much time before he was knocked out by the pills. Slowly, he lifted the knife from the vanity and placed it lengthwise along his wrist, relishing in the feel of the cold metal against his flesh. A small shiver coursed down his spine from the coolness touching his heated flesh.

He drew the blade down his arm from the wrist to the middle of his forearms. He repeated this on the other arm, but he wasn't finished yet. Just to make sure, he made three horizontal slash marks along the already bleeding line. They were each about an inch apart and deep. He repeated this on the other arm though the lines weren't as straight because he was right handed. Studying his handiwork, he dropped the bloodied blade to the floor with a clatter. He sighed at the sensation of his life essence flowing out of him onto the floor of the apartment. It formed a small puddle before he started to really get drowsy.

He dragged him self to the bed and collapsed on with his wrists hanging out over the edge as the blood dripped onto the floor and sheets. And like this, he fell into a darkness so thick it could not be broken by any outside noise.

Grey-blue eyes opened to see the bloodstained knife lying across the room.

'This can't be happening.'

He shut his eyes again trying to fall back into the eternal blackness he so longed for. He had failed. He could feel the dried blood caked onto his wrists. As he inhaled, the smell of blood coated his nostrils filling him with the disgusting need to retch.

He felt weak, but very much alive. It hadn't worked. He opened his eyes, looked himself over, and saw all the dry blood he was laying in. It covered the sheets, his clothes, and even his hair and skin. The burning in his nose spread to his throat. It tainted his lungs and tore at his esophagus. Like a disease spreading from his throat, he felt the burning spread into mouth. He ran to the bathroom, lifted the lid to the toilet, and emptied the acid from his stomach. The bile rising in his throat kept him hacking away in the bathroom for a good twenty minutes. He was thankful that he hadn't eaten anything because all that came up was water and bile.

Having finished heaving, he flushed the toilet, lowered the lid, and sat down on the covered basin. He lifted both his hands to examine his wrists. Pale pink scars now marked his once unmarred flesh as proof of his hateful deed.

He sighed in exasperation.

'Why didn't it work?'

**"Because, brat, I do not feel like dying."** Naruto visibly jumped at the verbal manifestation of Kyuubi in his mind.

'Why didn't you just let me die? I don't want to be here anymore.'

**"You know that that is not true, kit. You are not ready to die, but if you want to be gone so badly, leave the village."**

'What?!'

**"You heard me. Leave. They are not worthy of your presence here."**

'But I can't leave.'

Kyuubi felt terrible for his host. It was after all his fault that he was going through all this. It was time to leave.

**"Yes, you can. Leave this place and grow into your own person. Then maybe you can return here, but until they see you as who you are and respect you for that, they do not deserve to have you."**

Naruto thought for a second. It was a good idea but…

'Where will I go?'

**"I will show you a place and tell you how to get there. Come, Kit, before someone comes."**

Naruto got up and started collecting his things. It was still early in the morning. Too early in the morning, so not many people will be outside. He could leave discreetly and not be found. He highly doubted anyone would look for him anyway.

And on that day, he left the village he had grown up in with no intention of returning ever again.

/End Flashback/

He found out later that Sasuke had returned to the village exactly a week after he left. The Hokage had discovered his leave three day after he'd left and had informed the others. They had searched his apartment to find bloodied sheets, an empty bottle of pills, and a bloodstained floor, but no sign of Naruto. A lot of his clothes and personal belonging remain where he had left them, but his weapons, equipment, and other necessities were no where to be found. It was like he had just disappeared or left. Sasuke had been shocked to return to a Konoha without Naruto. That shock later turned into blind rage aimed towards the blonde who had woven a path to his heart, but no one knew that yet except for a select few who knew how to read people very well.

Sasuke had been sentence to a month long probation, but after that time period was up he was quickly promoted to Jounin and allowed on missions with team 7 which now consisted of Kakashi, Sakura, Sai, as a replacement for Naruto, and Sasuke himself. But in his spare time, Sasuke would seek out Naruto hoping to find him one day, but that didn't happen. As the years passed, Sasuke became ANBU and was now the head ANBU captain and the right hand to the Hokage. He worked with different ninja everyday and never had anything easy to do.

And now, more then six years from the day he left, the still coveted blonde stood atop the Hokage Mountain, on Yondaime's head to be exact, peering down at the village he had left behind. The blonde sighed knowingly. This was going to be interesting, if not down right lunatic.

"Home sweet home," he murmured with a smirk. His voice dripped with sarcasm.

TBC

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know you might think there was some out of characterness in the chapter, but it will all be explained in the future of this story.

Please Review.


	2. Guess who's back

Thank you to those of you who reviewed. I love what I read. Hope you enjoy this chapter even more.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Goodbye Now, Hello Tomorrow

Guess Who's Back

The Hokage sits behind her desk looking at her ANBU captain and his current team which consisted of Shikamaru Nara, Hinata Hyuuga, and Kiba Inuzuka. Sasuke Uchiha is currently debriefing her on the latest mission which, of course resulted in success. Simply deliver a scroll to the Kazekage and return. An easy enough mission, but it is **so** tedious to listen to the boring details.

The Hokage finds herself drifting so far into her fantasies easily nourished by boredom that she doesn't notice that her young ANBU captain has finished his report.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Huh? What? Oh. Oh yes. Very good, Sasuke. You and your team may leave now, and you will be allowed a couple days to recuperate for you next mission."

Kiba, Shikamaru, and Hinata stand and exit the office, but Tsunade notices, with a twinge of annoyance, that Sasuke remains standing in front of her desk. She knows what is coming, and she just can't wait to hear it this time.

"Can I help you?" She has a feeling that whatever he is going to ask has something to do with a certain blonde brat that has been absent for the last six years, completely untraceable.

"I request permission to continue searching for Uzumaki Naruto." Hit the nail right on the head with that one. She looks at him annoyed. Since the Uchiha finished his year-long sentence of confinement to the village for defecting Konoha almost nine years ago, the boy has been searching nonstop for the blonde in all his free time in the last five years with no luck at all. And as much as it pained her to admit it, the chances were that Naruto was dead by now, and judging by the state of his apartment after his leave, it would be safe to assume it would be a self-induced death. Despite the fact that she misses the blonde more than most, she finds it is time to draw the line on Sasuke and end his latest obsession. She just couldn't allow the twenty-one year old ninja to destroy himself over this, too, of all things.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I cannot allow that request."

"And why not?"

"Because chances are that Naruto is dead."

**"That Is Not..."**

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Yes?" calls Tsunade, thankful for the distraction. Her ever faithful apprentice, Shizune, opens the door, timidly.

"Hokage-sama there is someone here who wishes to speak with you."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. They say it is important." Tsunade looks at Sasuke. He returns his mask to his face and moves to a shadowy corner of the room to protect the Hokage if necessary.

"Let them in."

Shizune moves from the door, and a being dressed in a black full-body traveling cloak walks into the room. Black gloves cover the majority of the person's hands, saving the fingertips in order to utilize a better grip on a weapon. Despite the cloak, it is easy to tell the person has a very feminine silhouette to their figure, but at the same time they are well toned and muscled, an easy indication of good training. Whoever this was, they were strong. The hood that is attached to the cloak dons the person's head and covers all facial features from sight, successfully denying them any further analysis. The person steps into the center of the room as Shizune closed the door.

Something about this figure starts to get Sasuke on edge. It was almost as if he could recognize the feel of this person's chakra. It makes him feel competitive and ready for a fight. It makes him wish for the adrenaline to rush through his veins. Just the very thought of being near this person makes his pulse quicken and his blood boil with excitement. Only one other person has ever been able to have the same affect, but he hasn't been seen in years, and now Tsunade reveals her suspicion of his death, which Sasuke refuses to believe was even a contemplating the chances.

"Who are you, and state you business here."

There was no answer, just a reigning silence.

"Answer this instant before I have you thrown out."

The figure takes two steps forward directly in Tsunade's direction. Sasuke growls as his right arm reaches to the katana on his back, but before he moves to attack two slender, gloved hands lift to the hood of the cloak and draw it back to reveal vibrant light blond hair, and whiskered cheeks. Tsunade gasps audibly and Sasuke visibly stiffens. A hand ruffles the unruly locks as a pair of eyes slide open to reveal the most beautiful shade of icy blue Sasuke has ever seen in his life. Their gaze pierces right through the demeanor of both Hokage and ANBU captain.

"Don't you recognize me, Baa-chan?"

"Naruto…"

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Naruto scans the room. Blue eyes traverse around the office which has barely changed in six years he's been gone. He looks at Tsunade and eyes the ANBU standing in the darkest corner of the room. He looks to be an ANBU captain of some sort judging by the few decorations present on his person. The black and white uniform of the ANBU Black Ops shows off a very well toned, very male body. A physique typical of almost all excellent shinobi, but for some reason more **stimulating** when paired with this particular man's somewhat menacing aura. There is, hidden in that body, a commanding presence, one of pride and the pain of endurance.

He wears a fox-shaped mask with blue paint around the eyes. Along the nose of the mask are drawn six orange whisker marks, three on each side. The mask itself is made of wood and painted primarily white aside from the orange and blue markings. On his back, a Saito Katana rests. It has a black and gold hilt and is sheathed in a saya of black and blue. From where he stands he can smell the thick leather cording the kurigata is made out of; it's black, and along the body of the saya is the drawing of a gold dragon. He can't turn away from this person. For some reason, he feels drawn to this person, like he knows them.

"Naruto…" He looks back at the Hokage. Tsunade stands up behind her desk during his calculative ogling of the man in the corner. She gaps at Naruto.

"Hello, Tsunade-sama… Long time no see..."

"Naruto." Tsunade walks around the desk and envelopes the younger blonde in a tight hug. His head, now buried in her ample bosom, is turned ever so slightly so he can breathe. After a moment, his hands hesitantly rise to wrap loosely around the Hokage's back. A few tender moments later, Tsunade pulls away holding his shoulders at arms length. Tears glitter in her eyes as she looks into his blue depths. They were so changed. Gone was the happy-go-lucky portrayal she grew to love from the day she first met the boy. Now all that shines out of those endless blue depths is pain and the premature weathering of time.

"What happened to you?" He doesn't reply. She starts leading him to her desk. "Come here and sit." She sets him down in a chair in front of her desk while she goes back behind it. She settles back in her chair and looks at him. Her eyes, though serious, hold of hint of sorrowful happiness.

"Naruto, why did you leave this village?"

Several minutes of silence fill the room before Naruto responds.

"I had to. It was the best thing to do." His voice soundsso broken yet guarded. He draws his gaze away from her and looks down to study the carpet. "What is my punishment to be?"

Tsunade looks taken aback by this question. The seriousness of his voice… His complete resolve at the prospect of punishment stuns her into silence. But with a breath she recovers placing a serious look on her face.

"That depends on whether you tell me where you have been and what you have been doing all this time." Then she adds as an afterthought. "You could also tell me why you left in the first place."

Naruto sits silently for a moment.

"I can't tell you why I left. Not yet anyway."

"You don't have to tell me everything. Just tell me where you went and what you were doing there." She reaches over, placing her hand atop of his. The desperation in her eyes making it clear to Naruto just how badly she wants the answer which she could never have. He stares at her blankly before pulling his hands out from under hers and placing them in his lap.

"I left the fire country and traveled pretty much anywhere I felt the need to go. I went to some ninja villages and some non-ninja villages picking up different techniques. I trained with many different mentors who specialize in chakra control. I have expanded my horizons and learned to control different arts of ninjutsu." He shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal that he had been gone six year with no explanation or goodbye. From the shadows, a fuming Sasuke could practically hear the secrets bubbling underneath the surface of the blonde's statement. Tsunade isn't totally convinced by his story either, and Naruto can tell. You don't tell a story without knowing how the plot will affect your audience. There was a lot that he wasn't telling, but if he told her now, she would freak.

"That's all?"

"Yes, more or less." He whispers the last part to himself. They didn't pick it up.

"Hmm..." The Hokage reaches into a drawer and pulls out a blank sheet of paper. She also pulls out a pen and writes something down at a brisk pace.

"I will speak with the council tomorrow about your return and give them the same information you have just told me." She sighs and looked up from her paper work straight into his eyes. "Do you realize how much trouble you're in, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded.

"You know that you have been labeled a missing nin, and despite the fact that you returned willingly… Do you know the consequences you face?"

"I know there is a high possibility of me being sentenced to execution by hanging if the council so chooses."

She nods almost painfully.

"For the time being, I am placing you under constant surveillance. At least one ANBU member will be watching you at all times of the day until you can be trusted not to run away again. An ANBU will also accompany you wherever you go until your fate is decided. Understood?"

Naruto nodded. She tears a piece of paper from her desk and writes something on it. She then hands him the small note.

"This is where you will be staying. Try not to reveal to everyone that you are back right away, but you may want to track down Iruka and Jiraiya. They've been worried about you."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he said as he rises from his seat.

"As of now, you may roam around the village as you please, but you are not allowed to pass beyond any of the fortified walls around the village and must remain within the village. Am I understood?" Naruto nodded. "You may go now, Naruto." Naruto turns to leave. His hand is on the doorknob when Tsunade addresses him one last time.

"Naruto, we all missed you." He momentarily freezes, but then continues out with his head down, glancing one last time at the ANBU lurking in the corner of the room before closing the door behind him. He decides that he should visit the old training grounds before he turns in for the evening. He suddenly felt the overwhelming need to meditate after this little meeting.

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"Sasuke…"

Said ninja steps out of the shadows he has been concealed in. To say the youth was angry would be a severe understatement. He is positively fuming to the point of red hot, burning rage. His fists fall clenched at his sides, his knuckles pure white from the strain. If his eyes had had the ability to create fire without the use of chakra, the door through which Naruto had just exited would have been incinerated. Probably a few walls beyond it would be in flames, too.

"Yes, Hokage-same?" he said through clenched teeth. Tsunade smirks knowingly at the emotions the dark Uchiha displays at the moment. She knows very well the reason he has searched for Naruto all these years. It was the same reason Naruto had searched for him all those years ago. Good thing she was the only one who knew about it because the Uchiha couldn't kill her of all other people. It simply wouldn't look good on him at all.

"It would seem you no longer have to seek him out anymore." Sasuke growls at her. "Since you are the captain of the ANBU, I'm giving you the mission of watching Uzumaki Naruto for the next couple of weeks." Sasuke dosen't move a muscle.

"You are already aware of the situation at hand, and you have already heard Naruto's testimony concerning where he has been. You may speak with Naruto, and collect any other information you can from him. Make sure he doesn't leave the village. I will try my best to get the council to be lenient with him, but I will need your help to do that." He's still glaring at the door.

"Try and get him to open up to you and trust you again, and by all means do whatever you have to do to make him come forward with the truth." The Uchiha inwardly smirks at her statement, but Tsunade had no idea what her word choice had made pop up into his head.

"Sasuke…" He turned to her. "Follow him."

The last surviving member of the Uchiha clan disappeared in a gust of leaves and wind.

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Naruto is meditating in the middle of Team Seven's old training field when he feels the same presence from the office enter his field of chakra perception. He decides not to pay any attention to it. It's just an ANBU dog, after all, and Tsunade had told him he would be under constant watch for the time being which kind of gets him on edge. He had come back by choice and wasn't planning on leaving again, but just because he has a record he apparently needs to be babysat. However despite his disdain for the situation, he isn't surprised by it at all. There is no way the council would willingly trust him after what he pulled, not that they trusted him before that anyway.

However, it is quite surprising to feel a shuriken zip right by your right ear. It whistled by so close to him, he felt the gust of wind formed by the momentum surrounding it disturb his blonde locks of hair. He slides his eyes open and looks around for the source of the piece of small, but deadly, weaponry. When he finds nothing, his temper rises.

"Come out and show yourself before I drag you out."

He sees the ANBU member from before step out from the brush of forest that surrounds the training area. He stands in anticipation of a conflict, even though he really doesn't feel like fighting with a good for nothing member of the ANBU and getting himself into even more trouble.

"Uzumaki."

The blonde ninja freezes. He knows that voice very well. It consumes his dreams and haunts his memories, and even though he hasn't heard that voice in years he knows it very well. Almost as well as he knows the sound of running water, whistling winds or falling rain. His eyes grow darker and narrow to deadly slits. A ruse of anger to hide away all the pent up emotion.

"Sasuke…"

Naruto voice sounds the same as it had back at the office. It carries the same cold intonation that says he doesn't like the idea of being interrogated. The numbness within that voice speaks of a long suffered pain. The undertones of that voice made Sasuke stiffen back at the office, but it makes him cringe now that the blonde speaks his very name in the same voice, but he isn't about to let such an insecurity show. Not now when he stands so close to what he has looked for all his life since before the Uchiha massacre.

"What do you want, Uchiha?"

Sasuke takes a step forward in Naruto's direction and removes his mask to allow Naruto to see his face clearly without the mask. Obsidian orbs trace the body before him up and down without the obstruction of the mask. The cloak the blonde wears fits his body perfectly to show off muscles that deserve to be shown and to hide areas of the body not meant to be seen by prying eyes. Naruto is thin, very thin, but well-toned and muscled. His body is curved ever so delicately, giving him the slightest look of a female. A perfectly defined chest is accentuated well with a slim waist and properly proportioned hips. His face, unmarred save for six whisker marks, also looks to be more feminine than is expected for a male. One could go even further and describe his features as almost fox-like in appearance. Blonde locks of hair descend in unruly layers to the center of the nuke-nin's shoulder blades giving him an even more effeminate appearance. Naruto's hair is just like his father's once was. Thick bangs start from one side of his face and curve diagonally down to just below his cheekbones on either side of his face. If Sasuke didn't know any better, he might have mistaken Naruto for a woman. Course it was a very good thing Naruto was indeed a male, Sasuke didn't often find himself interested in females. They were too obsessive.

"You've changed, I see."

"As have you."

Now that he can see the dark haired youth in the light, he, too, takes notice of the differences in his former friend. Sasuke is tall, probably a good half foot taller than himself. His stature simply exudes self-confidence and arrogance, but that wasn't anything new. His muscles, toned and well defined, give off the impression of a very male, very dangerous man. His body is slim and toned, not small like Naruto's, but sleek and trimmed, designed for speed and aggression. Once can see the strength in his muscles by merely eyeing them as they ripple with his movements under his skin. Skin, pale as ever, stands out in stark contrast to the Uchiha's darker clothing. Porcelain against cobalt. The same could be said for his eyes. Deep obsidian reaching endless depths. Able to capture your attention and never release it with or without the deadly Sharingan. His hair is the same, but his face had narrowed and become more god-like, if that was even possible. Back when they were twelve, the Uchiha had been considered an idol. Now, some might've mistaken him for a sex god, a living Adonis. If Naruto could do anything about his physical attraction to the Uchiha, he probably would have, but he knew better than to come on to Sasuke. He was a cold-hearted prick, and apparently things haven't changed in that department.

"You're an ANBU captain now?"

"I'm not an ANBU captain. I'm _the _ANBU captain, right hand to the Hokage."

Naruto was surprised, but not entirely; he always knew that if Sasuke ever returned to Konoha, he would rise straight to the top, and not settle with being at the bottom or middle.

"Well, then, as ANBU captain, it must be such a hassle for you to have to watch little ole me instead of going home to spend the rest of the evening with anyone of your choice."

Sasuke chose to ignore that comment. While, yes, he can have anyone he wants, that doesn't mean that he would just pick some common whore, male or female alike, to share his bed with him. His taste lies only within certain people. He decides instead to address a more important matter.

"What I want to know is why you left this village a week before my return." Naruto raised a delicate eyebrow at the Uchiha's question.

"Oh, yes, how dare I not be present for your welcome home party, your almighty Highness?" He performs a fake curtsy/bow as he chuckles ever so slightly. Needless to say, Sasuke doesn't find it very funny. "Did they throw a parade for you, too?"

"Why did you leave?" asks Sasuke, slightly annoyed. Naruto sobers up.

"I can't tell you that."

"And why is that?"

"Because you don't care enough to really want to know."

"I don't care enough!" Sasuke's fuming again while he silently adds up all the time he spent looking for the blonde in order to drag him back home where he belongs, where they belong. He had realized this and returned to the village willing after seeing to Itachi's demise. What took Naruto so long that he has been missing for six years?

"No, you don't."

That did it for Sasuke. The next thing Naruto knew, he found a very sharp katana at his throat and a very angry Uchiha in his face.

"Tell me again that I don't care."

Naruto pauses. When he answers his voice sounds weak.

"You don't, or at least you didn't." The shorter male looked down to the ground. His bangs cover his eyes from Sasuke's field of vision. "No one did back then..."

Sasuke uses the katana to push Naruto's head up so their eyes meet. Emotionless black eyes gaze into suffering blue depths. "What happened to the Naruto Uzumaki I once called my best friend?" he asks, but he doesn't expect the answer he receives from his most precious person.

"He died six years ago. Actually, he may have never truly existed." The blonde takes a step back away from the edge of the katana.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sasuke pulls the katana down to his side and looks at Naruto, anger alight in his eyes.

"What do you think it means?" Naruto spits back. "Just leave me alone. I'm not the person you thought you knew." He turns to leave.

"No."

"Nani?" He turns back around.

"You heard me," Sasuke growls as the dark haired ninja sheaths his katana and removes the weapon from his back. He places it on the ground beside his feet. He then positions himself in a fighting stance. Naruto just stands there, silently watching the Uchiha's movements. He doesn't respond to the Uchiha's challenge.

"Come on, Dobe."

"What for, so you can try to kill me again?"

"If I wanted to kill you, don't you think I would have done it already?" Well that seemed true enough. Convinced, but still wary of the Uchiha, Naruto prepares himself for hand to hand combat. He unfastens the clasps of his traveling cloak and throws it to the side. This left him in a pair of black baggy pants and a black shirt. The shirt is form fitting, but it's torn up along the sleeves and torso area as though someone had taken a few good slashes at him. The pants are in no better condition. Together they give off the impression that the blonde had been attacked not too long ago. The gloves on his hands actually reach up the length of his arm, ending in the center of his upper arm. Chains and armlets decorate the top of the gloves to make sure they stay secure on his arms. Sasuke briefly wondered why he would wear attire such as this. All black and no color didn't seem at all like Naruto.

"What happened to you?"

"None of your business, Teme." He took up his fighting stance. 'Why is everyone asking that?' he thinks in annoyance.

"Fine then I'll just have to beat the answer out of you." He smirks.

"Hn, you can try it."

With that statement, Naruto leapt at Sasuke, and the fight began.

TBC

Thanks for reading please review.


	3. Face Off! Whoa

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Warning:**** This chapter contains content that may not be suitable for children. It includes male/male relations, masturbation, and minor Sakura bashing (for those of you who like Sakura). If you are uncomfortable with any of the above topics now is your chance to turn back. Any and all flames will be returned tenfold.**

Goodbye Now Hello Tomorrow

Face Off! Whoa…

The two face each other as equals, neither gaining the upper hand. Sasuke has his Sharingan activated. They clash and meld together like the forces of Yin and Yang. Naruto's Yin, deadly and stealthy, to Sasuke's quick and destructive Yang. Naruto dances around Sasuke almost like a dancing partner in this deadly dance of blood and sweat. Sasuke's demanding punches were answered by Naruto's kicks and lashes. Like this, they could have danced for hours, but Sasuke wanted his questions answered.

Their fight has moved from the clearing into the forests of Konoha's training grounds. They dash between trees and jump into the treetops to exchange deadly punches. Anyone watching would have only been able to see two black blurs rushing back and forth through the forest.

Gracefully, Sasuke plants his feet into the trunk of a tree. With a burst of chakra into his feet, Sasuke jumps towards Naruto and slams his body into Naruto's sending them both tumbling to the ground to wrestle it out using pure physical strength just like they used to. No chakra, no weapons. Just bodies and muscle. The result of their little wrestling match is a breathless Naruto staring up at a smirking Uchiha, the bigger nin pressing his knees onto either side of his chest.

"Looks like I win, dobe," said Sasuke panting above Naruto. The blonde just grunts at him.

"Yeah, you sure did."

"Tell me why you left the village, dobe." Naruto, in the midst of their battle, had completely forgotten about the current situation his was in concerning the Uchiha. He panics and starts trying to get away from the man above him, or push the ANBU off him at least. Sasuke simply grabs his wrists and pins them to the ground next to his head, but the blonde refuses to give in thrusting the center of his body into the Uchiha's larger form without any thought to what he actions mimic.

"Get off me!"

"No, not until you tell me why."

The sapphire-eyed ninja struggled in vain a few seconds longer, but with no results. It only made Sasuke angrier, and judging by the glare the blonde was receiving, he was very annoyed as well. He stopped struggling with a huff.

"Fine, you bastard, I'll tell you," he said defeated. "I was tired of being treated like dirt, so I left. I was tired of everyone lying to me about how they cared, and I was tired of being called a demon by the people I swore to protect day in and day out. I left because it was better for everyone that way. With the 'demon' finally gone they could be happy. I left to some place were I could finally act as myself."

Sasuke is outraged by the confession. "That's why. That's the reason why you left! Why didn't you confide in someone? Why not talk to the Hokage?"

"It's hard to 'confide in someone' when they push you away or are too busy to even look at you," Naruto sneers at him.

"And Sakura…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "Are you kidding? She hates me. She would rather I be dead than here." Naruto sighed. Sasuke is inwardly shocked to hear this statement. What had Sakura done to contribute to this behavior? He knows that she has never been the kindest person to Naruto, but he didn't believe that Sakura hated the blonde, but then again she is very pigheaded in the presence of certain people, and to this day, she doesn't know when to shut her mouth.

"I'm sure there was someone else…"

"Look, Sasuke, you may not think it's a good reason, but you don't know how it feels to be looked at day after day like you're less then human and deserve to be dead. Leaving the village gave me a chance to live without that, and I don't regret my decision to live instead of die."

Sigh. "Can you let me up, now? You're heavier than you look."

Reluctantly, Sasuke gets off Naruto and stands up. He aches a little at the absence of the heat between his legs that had been present when he had been straddling the blonde. He almost completely lost his nerve when Naruto started bucking into him. Almost being the key word. Needless to say, the friction very nearly inspired the most interesting of sensations.

"So why come back here?"

With a huff, Naruto sits up starting to dust himself off.

"I don't know yet," he whispered. "But does it really matter?"

When he finishes speaking, the Kyuubi carrier dares to glance up and is surprised to find a pale hand being offered to him, but he takes it graciously rising to stand next to Sasuke. They were so close, their chests no more than a breath away from each other. Staring into each others eyes for a moment, understanding passes between the two men in the silence. A connection that had been lost and ignored for years is found in that moment relit like a dying ember into the tiniest of flames, just hot enough to burn. Time froze seemingly irrelevant to the men.

With a sigh, Naruto broke the connection by looking down. Anyone present could have felt electricity course through the air between the two ninja, between the two men. After the surge seemingly settled, the two turn to move back to their starting point. Together, they walk back to the clearing to retrieve their belongings.

The setting sun paints the sky in gorgeous shades purple and orange. The colors, how they contrast so beautifully, remind Sasuke of what they used to be. Naruto's orange, bright and cheery, to Sasuke's purple, somber and silent. While the tones clash violently in other settings, right now in this instant no two colors went better together than these. Sasuke wants to feel the cohesiveness between them again. The camaraderie, the friendship. He yearns to touch and feel and breathe this person he once risked his life to save. He needs to capture this person he once tried to kill for no purpose other than because he was his most precious person and keep him safe in his arms, held there in safety and protection. Sasuke's gaze hovers on the blonde for several moments before he speaks.

"Oi, Naruto," calls Sasuke as he straps his katana back into its proper place.

"Nani?"

"'Ya hungry? I'll pay." Sasuke looks at Naruto and waits for the expected ramen response. Naruto smiles a small smile at him, but his words are something Sasuke never thought he would ever hear from the blonde.

"Thanks, Sasuke, but no. I'm not that hungry"

Okay, now this is getting ridiculous. The Naruto he knew would never have denied the offer of food. Maybe the blonde had been telling the truth, and he had changed drastically. Or maybe everything that the blonde had been before his defection been a lie as he alluded to earlier. Naruto chuckles at the "is that so" expression on Sasuke's face. It's a low pleasant sound that rumbles out of the back of the fox's throat.

"What? I don't eat too much these days." Naruto smiled. "Besides, I don't want anyone to know I'm back yet."

"Alright… Where are you staying?"

"Hold on, let me check." He pulls out the little slip of paper Tsunade had given him from a pocket in his cloak. He raises an eyebrow at the address on the paper. "She gave me the address of my old apartment."

Sasuke had figured as much. As of yet, no one had dared to rent the apartment Naruto used to live in. It was small and unfurnished, a little rundown. His old clothes still hang in the closet and old pictures still decorate the walls. Just the fact that the blonde lived in it was enough to keep most people stay, like it was haunted or something, but then again, they could have drawn that conclusion from the bloodstains on the bedroom floor that simply refuse to be washed out. Not that anyone had really tried to clean up the mess, no one, not one of Naruto's many friends had the nerve to.

"Well, let's head back then. I can check and make sure the apartment is safe." That was a lie. No one knows the blonde is back, so no one would be able to harm him intentionally, and besides, no one has been inside that apartment in years. In truth, Sasuke just didn't want to part with the blonde-haired ninja yet.

Sasuke watches as Naruto puts his cloak back on and pulls the hood up so no one would recognize him. Then Sasuke places his mask back on his face, and together, missing nin and ANBU captain, they walk back to the Hidden Leaf Village.

1234

Naruto enters his apartment for the first time in six years after Sasuke, somewhat timidly albeit. The ANBU captain looks around the small apartment, making sure there were no hidden traps or any other potential hazards present. Naruto looks around and goes into what was once his bedroom. He gaze shifts around, from the center of the room to the walls and the dresser. Everything is just as he left it six years ago, save for a thin sheet of dust coating everything. On the floor rests a long since dried bloodstain. The blonde cringes at the unwelcome memory inspired by the metallic smell that still lingers in the room.

"Is it true?" Naruto turns around to find Sasuke standing in the doorframe. He turns back around and stares at the stain along the length of the bed.

"Is what true?"

"You tried to commit suicide." This time it wasn't so much a question as a statement.

"Yes. I had been in a bad placed that day. I left early the morning after."

"Why did you do it?"

"I realized that no one neither needed nor wanted me. I thought it would be better for the village if I was dead. I guess being a failure crosses over into other aspects of my life as well."

Sasuke looks at the large bloodstain on the floor, and his eyes follow several smaller ones to the old vanity. He had been told about the bloodstains by Sakura, Kakashi, and Sai but had never seen them himself. He hadn't wanted to believe that Naruto had indeed attempted suicide. He could only imagine what Naruto might have been feeling, but he didn't understand it. Despite everything Sasuke has been though in his short life, never has he ever thought to end everything in a self-induced death. Besides, Naruto had always been happy. He always smiled, always believed in himself. He never cried, never got depressed, and never shut up for more than a minute.

The Naruto before him had yet to smile as large or wide a smile as he used to so often. His words were quickly uttered and precise, and his whole demeanor wasn't what it used to be. It was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. What could have happened to the blonde to change him like this?

_'He may have never existed.'_

Had it all been a lie?

Naruto was now moving into the conjoined bathroom. He came back out with a rug in hand and used it to cover the stains. It works pretty well, but Sasuke wonders why the hell Naruto would have a rug in his bathroom. As though reading his mind, Naruto answers his unvoiced questions.

"It was in the back of the cabinet. I just have to use it until I can get the floor redone." He turns away from Sasuke and stands still gazing out the closed window onto the empty streets of Konoha. Sasuke silently approached Naruto from behind. He grabs Naruto's right wrist, spins the blonde around, and raises the trapped wrist up over his head so he could unclasp the ties and chains on the gloves. He pulls up the glove to Naruto's forearm before the smaller male starts struggling.

"Let go!"

Sasuke pulled the glove all the way off to expose the crisscross lines decorating the blonde's wrist and forearm. Naruto's body was pressed up flush against Sasuke's chest as the raven examined the scars. Sasuke traced the markings on Naruto's wrist as the small blonde winced in response to the tender caress.

Naruto tried to get away again, but was just pulled further into Sasuke's body. The difference in height and physical strength was obviously in Sasuke's advantage. Naruto's head reached just below Sasuke's lips. Their torsos lined up perfectly in a dominant vs. recessive fashion. Sasuke reached for Naruto's other wrist to examine it as well. The glove was removed, and the scars were now visible for the world to see.

A strange look appeared in Sasuke's eyes as he gazed from the scars to Naruto's deep blue eyes. He leans forward and kisses the scars in front of him; his tongue, as an afterthought traces over the crisscrossing pattern. His lips trail their elevated ridges, feeling and understanding the meaning behind these story lines, and leave a burning sensation on Naruto's skin as he pulls away, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist in a gentle embrace. Slowly, Naruto raises his arms to wrap them around Sasuke's neck in absolute astonishment.

Sasuke buries his face in Naruto's hair and inhales his scent. He smells of a fresh spring frost. It's an intoxicating smell, warm yet icy. He suspects he could easily fall in love with that smell among other things pertaining to the blonde if given chance. He doesn't know why he is doing this though, but he can no longer find the will to stop himself even if he wanted to. Naruto smells so good, so different. When Sasuke's lips brush against the skin of Naruto's throat, the little blonde shivers at the wonderful sensation.

"Sa…Sasuke…"

"Naruto?"

Sasuke pulls away slightly to look into a pair of stunned sapphire eyes. Sasuke lifts a hand to Naruto's whiskered cheek. He leans forward and plants his lips on Naruto's in a chaste kiss. Both their eyes slide shut as they stay like that for just a moment. Then they move. Their lips move against each other gracefully and sloppily at the same time. Tongues collide in brief strokes, the tentative tasting of the man in front of him. Each giving just as much as they take, but then, the moment is gone.

They both pull away at the same time. With their bodies still pressed together by Sasuke's arm, they could only just pull away. They can feel each other's breath. Their noses still brush against the other at the slightest movement. Naruto looks down, away from Sasuke. Sasuke peers at Naruto.

"Naruto…"

Said ninja does nothing in response to the calling of his name. He merely looks at Sasuke's chest not bothering to raise his head at all. Sasuke uses the hand he holds to Naruto's cheek to coax the blonde's eyes to meet his own.

"Be safe. Sleep well."

Naruto nods.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning."

With that, Sasuke disappears in a small flurry of wind. Naruto stands where he is staring at the spot Sasuke just occupied, thinking about what had just transpired between the two of them.

'Sasuke just kissed me.'

**"I think he wanted to do more than that."**

'But he can't. I'm a missing nin and Sasuke still needs to revive his clan.'

**"You know better than that, Kit. There are plenty of ways around that especially when dealing with you."**

'Yes, but he doesn't know that.'

**"So… It doesn't change the fact that you can carry a child and help him revive his clan."**

'But I don't trust him anymore, Kyuubi.' He moves into the bathroom to take a shower. Fresh, if not dusty, towels were still stocked in the cupboards. He pulls one out, beats the dust off, and places it on the counter.

**"I can understand you not trusting him, but if the Uchiha really wants you, he'll have you. Whether it is him taking you by force or you giving yourself to him, it won't matter." **Kyuubi chuckled much to Naruto's dismay. **"That's what makes him such an excellent candidate for a mate."**

Naruto blushed as the implication of Sasuke being a dominate mate or lover. The kiss they had shared earlier had been sweet, and he had enjoyed it greatly. He knew he cared for, even loved Sasuke as more than just a friend, but he doesn't want to do anything about it. He doesn't trust him enough to believe Sasuke was doing anything more than just playing with him, and besides, the council could still sentence him to death when all is said and done, so it is better he just stay away.

Naruto sighs in defeat as he shuts Kyuubi out and turns on the hot water. He sets it to a decent temperature and steps under the steady spray to allow his muscles to relax.

1234

Sasuke steps out of Naruto's apartment complex and stares out into the starry night sky. The full moon stares back down at him as he stands in the middle of the deserted street. Naruto's apartment is located in a very poor district. Not many people stayed out late in this area of town due to the constant violence of the area. It was too dangerous for a normal person, but not a problem for a trained ninja let alone the ANBU captain.

Sasuke looks from left to right before forcing his feet onward. All he can hear are the beating sounds of his own feet hitting the pavement as he walked. The occasional shout would echo from a building, but he takes no notice of it. Some people linger in the alleyways, and upon seeing the ANBU captain, they shift to a darker corner of the alley in apprehension. Sasuke won't waste his time though. Not only is it of no consequence to them what they do loitering at night but he is too busy thinking about the kiss he and Naruto shared just minutes ago.

'I can't believe I kissed him.'

Sasuke smirks as he remembers how Naruto's lips move against his ever so slightly, melding with his in a perfect example of submission. 'He enjoyed it. I have to find a way to persuade him into my life again.' As an afterthought he adds, 'and my bed.' Sasuke's smirk disappears as his thoughts take him to a more serious topic.

He was still trying to get his head around the changes in Naruto. He has matured of course, but he is so distant at least initially. The fox's demeanor reminds him of a ray of sunshine hiding behind a dark rain-filled cloud. He wants the sunlight to shine through again, but for that to happen he would have to talk to the fox which may now prove a difficulty. He wanted, no needed, the blonde to talk to him freely again. He knows he probably doesn't deserve it anymore after everything he's done, but he yearns for the blonde's trust. It was going to be tough, but he had to find a way accomplish his task.

He turns onto a more lively market street. He was somewhat hungry, having not eaten dinner yet. Since he didn't feel like making his own dinner, he stops at a small rice shack and orders some onigiri. The few patrons already there are chatting in quiet voices, and a general atmosphere of peace hovers around the shop. He sits on a stool in a darker corner of the shop to wait for his food to be delivered. He only removes his mask just as his meal comes to the table. With a small whisper of idakimasu, he begins to eat his inexpensive meal. His revere crumbles when he hears an ear-splitting scream of his name.

"Sasuke-kun!!!"

'Oh, God,' he thought rolling his eyes. A blur of pink hair rudely enters his line of sight as Sakura sits next to Sasuke to be close to him, a little too close for his comfort though. She is invading his personal space again, and he doesn't like it one bit.

"How was your mission, Sasuke-kun?"

"Fine," he grunted while chewing on some rice.

"What are you gonna do with your time off? Please don't tell me you're gonna go looking for _**Naruto**_ again."

Sasuke looked up at her as if seeing her for the first time.

_"She hates me"_

Naruto's words echoed in his mind. Maybe Sakura did hate Naruto. She always gets angry whenever he takes off to search for Naruto, and never speaks of him with the others. The question was, however, why would she hate Naruto? The little blonde had never done anything to her except try to be a friend. Something was telling him it had something to do with him. He decides to find out.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, I just think it'd be better for you spend time with me instead of looking for him all the time. He wouldn't even appreciate it."

'Like he would even know,' thought Sasuke.

"Besides he's probably dead by now, anyway, and good riddance too. Of course, it is a shame you weren't able to kill him first." She had yet to notice the death glare being sent her way. "…Because now you can't get the more advanced Sharingan. What was it called again, mangekyo?

"Sakura…" Sasuke was finished eating and had paid for his meal. He stood up preparing to leave, fed up with Sakura's stupidity.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun," said Sakura smiling brightly.

"You're annoying and stupid. Leave me alone."

Sakura sat there gapping as Sasuke walked away from her toward the Uchiha district. She sat there in astonishment until she just chalked it all up to Sasuke being shy. Who says the captain of the ANBU can't be shy towards women? She got up laughing and went home. (Stupid Bitch.)

1234

Sasuke enters his home silently enough. He deposits his mask and other equipment in the living room and walks down the hall to his room, gathering a fresh pair of black boxers and blue pajama bottoms. He walks into his conjoining bathroom, sets the clothes down on the countertop and undresses.

He turns the water on and steps into the shower. He gasped as the hot water hit is sensitive skin. He braced his hands against the wall, his head bent down so the water rushed over his sore neck. He sighs at the sensation as he lets his mind drift to what had happened earlier.

"That kiss…"

He closes his eyes, letting the water flow over his aching muscles. With his eyes closed, it was easier to think about all that had happened in the last few hours from fighting with Naruto to kissing him. Seeing him again for the first time in years, looking along the blonde's body, imagining what that body looked like without clothing. It entices him. He doesn't notice his growing erection until it is too late.

"Oh, God..."

Diligently, he raises his right hand over his groin and begins to pump himself up and down. With his eyes still closed, he could imagine Naruto's lips encasing him, sucking him off. He groans slightly at the mental image of blonde hair bobbing up and down on his cock making him cum.

He picks up the pace to a raw stroking stimulating the burning need in the pit of his stomach. In the meantime, his free hand pulls at his hair, a subconscious action that only aided to stimulate him in his current goal. He pumps himself into the familiar sexual oblivion that comes with orgasm.

"Naruto," he breathes out as he spirals down from his pleasurable height. Slowly, he washes the semen from his body and cleans himself off. He finishes washing his body and hair, steps out of the shower, dries himself, and dresses into his pajama bottoms. He walks back into his room and collapses on the bed, in sheer exhaustion.

He lies down under the covers and stares out the window.

'Goodnight, Naruto.'

1234

Naruto had finished his shower and was currently cleaning all the dust around the house. The floor is now spotless and the kitchen appears to be in mint condition. He has beaten the dust out of the mattress, pillows, and sheets successfully. By the end of his cleaning escapade, he is so covered in dust, cobwebs, and grime that he takes yet another shower.

By the time he got out of the shower it was three o'clock in the morning, and he was dead tired. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he stares out the window.

'Goodnight, Sasuke,' he thinks before moving to sleep.

He lies under the freshly washed sheets of his bed and fall into what he hopes will be a dreamless sleep.

TBC

Thank you for reading. Please Review.

Until next time.


	4. Fate Decided A Brief Interlude

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Author's Note:** I'm bringing in two other couples in this chapter. They are not incredibly important, just something my muse decided to throw in. If you do not like these couples, I'm sorry. Don't flame me for it. I'm just writing a story, people.

Goodbye Now Hello Tomorrow

Fate Decided – A Brief Interlude

This meeting has taken far too long.

What should have taken at most an hour had become four hours, and Sasuke is annoyed. Sasuke is beyond annoyed. Sasuke is livid with annoyance.

The meeting started at 6:00am, an ungodly hour to wake up for a meeting in the first place. It is now 10 o'clock in the goddamn morning, and the meeting is barely reaching its conclusion. The elders are finalizing their decisions, and Tsunade is signing the necessary paperwork. Honestly, the Uchiha has never seen her write her name so many times within such a short period of time, approximately 5 minutes. In fact, the young ANBU captian has never seen anyone fill out their name so quickly. And he could respect that especially in his state of discord. The faster she finished, the faster he could get out of this ridiculous room.

The meeting, from beginning to end, had pertained solely on the issue of the return of one Uzumaki Naruto. Of course said meeting quickly became more of a shouting contest from some angles of perception. The arguing had started the moment Tsunade introduced the issue to the entire council. Some nearly screamed in outrage. Others merely huffed in distaste at the prospect of the returned jinchuuriki. Few stayed silent looking on in what appeared to be pleasant surprise at the turn of events.

The Sharingan wielder can give names to each of those few. Neji Hyuuga, Shikamaru Nara, Hinata Hyuuga, Toad Sannin Jiraiya, Shino Aburame, Iruka Umino, and Kakashi Hatake his head immersed, as always, in his pervy book.

Immediately, the outcome of the meeting aimed in the negative direction with the suggestion of execution as a popular idea among the older council members, namely the aforementioned elders. A quick jibe from the Uchiha put that thought out of everyone's minds.

"He Should Be Executed!' yelled one old lady in a high squeaky voice. The statement was fitting to that of the Queen of Hearts1. It carried the correct tone quality, too.

"Abandoning this village for his selfish needs… He should be hanged…"

"You all seem to fail to remember, that I too once left this village for my own purposes. In fact I left to join forces with one of our known enemies. I won't allow Naruto to be murdered for a lesser offense than my own when I still live," spoke the raven calmly. It succeeded in permanently keeping the topic away from any kind of death sentence.

For hours, ideas were tossed and twirled around the room. The older council members would name a punishment, but the younger generation would discount it in a single sentence. It was like a tag team competition. One side exchanging blows with the other as each side selected a new person to enter in the fight.

"We should just lock him up."

"For what crime? Jail time can only be merited for crimes against the village. Naruto never raised a hand against Konoha during his absence," retorted Shikamaru

"He should be stripped of his shinobi title," tossed out an old fat man that couldn't have been younger than seventy-three years old. Needless to say, he was horribly thwarted

"None of you ever wanted him to be a shinobi to begin with, but he is now more powerful than you could even imagine. What right do you have to remove his rank?" yelled Neji.

"I say we keep the boy. Ward him during times of peace, and during wartime let the beast inside him have at it."

"Naruto is not a tool."

"He's is a human being. You have no ground to use him as a weapon," cried Iruka after Kakashi's first defending remark.

Hours passed. Back and forth the arguing went, everyone screaming and yelling for different kinds of justice. No one listening to what anyone else has to say; only concerned with putting in their mountain of two cents. At one point, it felt as though Sasuke's head would explode from the sheer amount of annoyance festering in his system from the moronic essence of the meeting. Konoha is full of fools. It was a fact, and the Uchiha knew it would always be true no matter what issue arose to be proceeded by this council of idiots. Of course, his mind argued, only the old farts have a real capacity for stupidity. He silently praised every god he had ever heard of when Tsunade finally intervened in the blanket of white noise the room was quickly started to embody.

"Everyone SHUT UP!!!!"

And all was quiet. Tsunade sat back in her seat with a sigh. Placing her hands underneath her chin she prepared her approach to the situation. It would be a tall order to satisfy every member of the council, but woe unto any who failed to abide by a Hokage issued judgment.

"Naruto will have an ANBU tailing him at all times during the day and night."

No one objected.

"He will be confined to this village for the next year and a half."

Still no objections.

"There will be a six month probation set before he may reenter shinobi duties within the village."

There was a bit of a grumble at this proposition, but no outright objections.

"Naruto will be reporting to me once a week for further information on his whereabouts of the last six years. These sessions will require the presence of my ANBU captain and a member of the interrogations squad."

Some of the elders shifted position in their seats.

"Now are their any further suggestions?"

Most everyone remain silent, except for one highly amused voice.

"Just one thing, Tsunade. I feel it would be best if someone with the ability to control the Kyuubi be the one tailing Naruto for a majority of the time, for the safety of the village and Naruto himself. After all, I trained the lad myself. The Kyuubi is no pet fox if you know what I mean, hehe," laughed Jiraiya. The entire council could agree on that one, with or without the biased of age.

"Of course," he continued. "There is only one person in the entire village who can accomplish that feat. Wouldn't you say, Uchiha?"

All eyes were now on Sasuke.

Tsunade looked at him, waiting for his response. Her eyes seemed to be almost pleading with him. If he didn't abide by this proposition, her whole scheme would be deflated, and they would be stuck in this room for another four hours, and that was not an option. And besides, she thought, such a sentence for Naruto may be beneficial for the ever illustrious Uchiha as well. In more ways than one.

"Hn… So be it."

"Well, it looks like this meeting is over," the Hokage said as she reached to sign all of the documents to be drawn up as the paperwork representing this momentous occasion.

1234

_It is dark, cold, and wet. The darkness surrounding his senses is so thick it penetrated his pores and taste buds. A rusty metallic taste resides in his mouth. The smell of blood is heavy in the air. A scent so consuming his lungs choke on the obscene perfume making his gag reflex act up in sheer disgust._

_Blue eyes scanned the darkness for anything and everything. Upon trying to raise his body from its current laying down position, he found that his torso was strapped down by some sort of heavy belt. A quick check notified him that his hands and feet were in much the same situation._

"_Damn it."_

"_Hehehehe, how nice of you to join us?"_

_That voice. Something inside him said that he should recognize that voice, but he just couldn't place it. Where did it belong?_

"_Who's there?"_

_A buzzing sound hits his senses as bright, blaring lights are activated shrouding the once pitch black room into a painful white. It felt like an eternity before the room came back into focus._

_And thus in front of him appeared a face darkened and indiscernible due to the lights. In his right hand, he held what appeared to be a needle filled with some strange crimson liquid._

"_Wakey Wakey… It's time for your first round of medicine."_

"_What is that?" said the patient gesturing toward the syringe._

"_Let's just call them vitamins designed especially for you and your abilities." The man lowered the syringe to a tanned arm. With a pricking sensation, the blonde on the table cries out._

"_I'm not your fucking science experiment."_

"_No, but I so want to see what this does."_

_A burning sensation coursed up and down his arm._

"_AHHH…"_

1234

"AHHH…"

The Kyuubi carrier woke up with a blood-curdling scream.

Blue eyes feverishly take in his surrounding as a lithe muscled body prepared to bolt at the slightest disturbance. Noticing the quiet atmosphere of his former home, the blonde steadied his breathing. Cold sweat casts a light sheen to his chest and forehead, and being shirtless, the bed sheets cling to his tan flesh, the white fabric outlining every contour of his shapely body.

A slim hand reaches up to ruffle unruly locks of hair.

"Just a nightmare…"

Getting up, Naruto heads straight for the bathroom to shower and start his day. 30 minutes later saw a freshly showered blonde exiting the bathroom smelling of cologne and shampoo any lingering sensations of the nightmare washed away for the time being.

Going over to his pack, the only thing he had left with and the only thing he had returned with, the blonde rummaged through a small collection of scrolls before pulling out the one he was looking for. It was a seemingly unimportant scroll. Innocent in its contents, a reader could learn all about different meditation techniques made especially for calming abnormal chakra systems. What they wouldn't guess is how this very scroll could be used to achieve such an intense level of meditation as to shut down the entire system of a user. When used properly, the techniques in this scroll could be used to reach a state of complete, almost deathly unconsciousness, a self induced coma if you will. The scroll provided an escape from the outside world, not nearly as effective as deep slumber or death, but we all know how that works out. Setting it down in front of him, Naruto settled down to meditate on the words within the scroll for the next couple of hours, but as fate would have it, just as he was unrolling the scroll a knock sounded at the door.

With a bit of exasperation, Naruto made his way over to the door. Wary of who might be on the other side, Naruto took a quiet moment to try and figure out who it was in the easiest way possible.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Naruto. Don't you remember?"

With a frown, Naruto opens the door to find Hinata Hyuuga. The breath evades his lungs as he sees her for the first time in years. She has really grown up. Her long black hair cascades down her ever ample chest and back. Light mascara and eyeliner crowns her already beautiful face. A face worthy enough to belong to an angel looks at Naruto now with a soft sad smile. She was wearing a simple black kimono made for non-combative situations like meetings or home life.

"I heard you were back."

"Uh, yeah…" She looks at him expectantly before speaking.

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, of course. Of course, where are my manners?" he says as he steps aside to allow her to pass him and enter the small apartment while he closes the door. She takes a seat on the old worn out couch in the center of the room, looking far too regal for such mundane surroundings.

"Can I get you anything?" Not that there was anything in the apartment besides water to eat or drink.

"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you."

Naruto is reluctant to sit with her. He doesn't know why exactly. Maybe it's because he's been gone so long, he doesn't know who this Hinata is. Maybe it's because he has changed so much, she doesn't know who he is. Maybe he is just frightened of coming into contact with one of the people he left behind. One of the people he thought could live without him being around all the time. Someone, who now, after six years of absence, had sought him out despite everything he had done. Maybe it was because he couldn't love her like she had asked of him so many years ago on that reconnaissance mission when they were still kids.

"Come sit with me, Naruto."

He moved to stand beside the couch, but he did not sit. Seeing his stillness, Hinata rose from the couch. Only mere moments had passed since she entered the apartment. This was the same apartment she had come to six years prior to find the emptiness, the hollowness, and the bloodstains decorating the bed sheets and bedroom floor. Yes, it had been Hinata who found the blonde missing after two days of failing to find the jinchuuriki anywhere else. She mourned for days the abrupt disappearance of Naruto. The same boy she gave her heart to at such a young age. If only she had known…

He is thinking now, his eyes downcast and gray around the edges. Those eyes are so very different from the eyes she used to blush at when they enveloped her in their depths. Now they gaze at the floor so empty, but at the same time full of pain and suffering. He looks so…sad. So…lost.

"Naruto…"

And she wraps her arms around his neck in a tight hug. He holds his breath and raises his arms slightly in surprise. He doesn't know how to react. It's impossible to react.

"Hinata…"

"Shh… I know, Naruto. I know."

And she hugs him tighter, her clothed breasts pressing into his well-muscled chest as he finally moves resting his arms loosely around her small waist. It's a gesture of shared comfort between the two. It's an intimate gesture of camaraderie between two individuals, a moment of silence and emotion.

"Ehem…" a voice clears its throat, and the moment is gone.

Naruto looks over to see Uchiha Sasuke standing in his bedroom doorway, a slight look of some unknown emotion on his face. Obviously, the Uchiha is too good to use the front door, so he just sneaks in through the window. He pulls away from Hinata as she releases him. Despite everything, a small blush graces her features as her pale eyes glance between the two males in the room. Sasuke and Naruto have not averted their gazes from one another.

"Well, I best be going."

She heads toward the door.

Naruto tries to protest, but she is already at the door, the handle under her thin fingers. Blue eyes meet ivory as she turns with one last smile on her face.

"Naruto, I came by to tell you… Kiba and I are getting married next week. I would be honored if you were in attendance."

Naruto smiles as his eyes soften at her. It's a small smile, barely a lift of the lips, but it's a true smile.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Hinata gives one last smile and a short goodbye to Sasuke before she takes her leave of their presence. As the door closes, Naruto seems to recover from the shock of such mind-boggling news. In fact, he is still trying to wrap his head around the concept of Kiba and Hinata getting married.

"They've been engaged for about a year now. The whole village has named them the perfect ninja couple."

Naruto doesn't need to look at the Uchiha to know that Sasuke has come up behind him. Obsidian orbs study the blonde in front of him. Naruto wears a very similar outfit to yesterdays. All black again except today he wears a short, long-sleeved yukata over a baggy pair of black pants. The sash is white though and wrapped thickly around the blonde's stomach keeping the neckline quite modest, but Sasuke could just barely see the mesh shirt Naruto wears under the fitted top.

"What do you want?"

Muscles tensed as two pale, gloved hands made their way onto Naruto person. One at his waist plays with the edge of the fabric used to hold his yukata together. The other tangles in his golden locks. Soft lips caress the shell of his ear. The sensation makes him almost unable to comprehend the Uchiha's words.

"The Hokage has summoned us. Let's go."

Naruto moves to retrieve his cloak from the back of the couch, but Sasuke stops him. The hand at Naruto's waist is gripping the fabric in a dangerously tight grip. A questioning look is sent the raven's way.

"Forget the cloak."

"But…"

"The village is going to hear news of your return sooner or later. It's never been like you to hide your face from the public. Don't hide from people like Hinata who have missed you."

Naruto's silence speaks volumes to Sasuke. It says far more about his emotions and thoughts than the blonde's incessant ramblings used to when they were kids.

"Come on. Walk with me to the tower."

Naruto nods slowly as Sasuke pulls him by the hand to the door.

1234

Sasuke and Naruto reached the Hokage's office without trouble. No one was really able to recognize Naruto; he had changed so much. It helped that Naruto insisted they take a short cut though several back alleys where few people ventured. Upon their entrance, Tsunade sat them down in a couch across from her desk. She pulls up the files on her desk for Naruto to take a look at.

He reads through them obediently enough. The Uchiha just leans against the armrest of the sofa his cheek in his palm, a bored expression on his face. The silver chain where he hangs the tip of the sword he used to kill Itachi shimmers in the afternoon sunshine while the blade tip sways back and forth with its wearer's breath.

Once he finishes reading through the files, Naruto looks to Tsunade. She quickly elapses into a brief explanation of what is to be expected of him over the next year and a half. At the prospect of weekly interrogations, Naruto frowns quite noticeably without moving his gaze from Tsunade. The Hokage simply replies.

"Don't look at me like that. You've put yourself in this situation."

Well that was truth enough for Naruto, so he complies with the demands asked of him, but that doesn't mean he likes it one bit. After all, they all know it might have turned out much different for Naruto if just a few things were changed.

Signing his signature at the bottom of the last page, Naruto stands to leave the room once he hands the file back to Tsunade.

"I'll see you in a week then," she says as she returns to her paperwork. "You're both dismissed."

Naruto was already half way out of the room before the words even left her mouth. When he reaches the corridor, he starts heading in the direction of the nearest exit to his apartment, but an unstoppable force keeps him from taking another step. That force is currently gripping his upper arm. Some people may have called it Sasuke Uchiha; he preferred teme.

"What?!"

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To my apartment, where else?"

"Join me for lunch." Sasuke's coy smile sets off warning bells in Naruto's brain. When they were kids, that look meant he was about to have his ass handed to him. God only knows what it means nowadays.

"I'm not hungry," he says trying to step away from the raven-haired nin, but the grip on his arm refuses to let up. Finally, Naruto places his own hand on Sasuke's wrist and pulls a little. "Let go!"

"But you haven't eaten at all since you got here. I insist you eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

'Well he's still stubborn, that's for sure,' thought Sasuke.

"When was the last time you ate a decent meal?"

"Uh…"

Blue eyes cast their gaze to the ground, darting back and forth as he tried to remember when it last was that he had eaten a warm, filling meal. Naruto honestly couldn't answer. Was it a week or two ago, a couple of months maybe? What quantified a decent meal anyway? He couldn't remember

"That's that then. Come on," Sasuke says as he tugs Naruto in the opposite direction from where he was heading. He releases his hold on the blonde once he is sure the dobe won't be running away from him. The blonde in question is following along placidly enough. "Besides, you're far too skinny."

"I Am Not Skinny!"

1234

"Who is that woman sitting with Uchiha-sama?"

"I don't know but she's beautiful."

Six years ago, Naruto would have given anything to eat lunch with Sasuke again at Ichiraku's, but right now the blonde silently fumes at the all misplaced attention he is getting from the people around him and the Uchiha. He is flattered they find him attractive, but come one people. Apparently, the villagers cannot tell he is in fact a male. And if that isn't bad enough, the villagers also seem to dub him as the ANBU captain's current date. Sasuke doesn't seem terrible upset by the assumption either.

"I've never seen Sasuke-sama with a woman before in public."

"I hardly ever see him with anyone in public save for parties or meetings. Even then he's incredibly humble."

"Do you think this means something? Could it be he has found, dare I say it, a love interest?"

SQUEEL

Sasuke rolls his eyes at their antics, but a smirk graces his lips as he eats. It is quite apparent he's enjoying the situation. While chewing slowly, Naruto glares at him from where he sits. The raven ignores him, so he swallows and clears his throat catching his gaze.

"Are you going to set the record straight, Teme?"

The Uchiha looks around at their chattering observers, mostly women. Some he knew and some he didn't. He does know for a fact that Sakura is watching. He can hear her voice whispering about them to an uninterested Ino. Ino is actually currently thinking about her boyfriend of two years Shino. I know, it's a really random couple, but over the last two years they both have really hit it off after a drunken one-night stand turned into a serious relationship in less than a month. That's how everyone found out, Ino wasn't really all that afraid of bugs. A quite comical get together if Sasuke could name one.

"I don't see why not."

"Good," says Naruto as he turns back to his food. However, he almost yelps when he feels his stool being pulled closer to Sasuke's and an arm wraps loosely around his waist. Through clenched teeth, the blonde keeps his gaze down at the bar in front of both of them and says, "What are you doing?"

"Giving our audience a little clarification."

"I'm not your fucking girlfriend, Teme."

"No," speaks Sasuke as he moves his head closer to Naruto's whiskered cheek. The hand around his waist lifts to Naruto's chin catching it between thumb and forefinger and pulling it around to where their noses are just millimeters from touching. "But I am quite interested in you, Naruto."

He tilts his head ever so slight bringing their lips just a centimeter away. Naruto gulps from the tension.

"Could you be interested in me, Naruto?" Black eyes burn with an intensity, Naruto only remembers seeing once before at the Chuunin exams when Sasuke declared he wanted to fight Naruto.

Blue eyes slide shut in anticipation of the coming kiss, and Sasuke leans forward.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Irritated black eyes search for the interruption. Two people stand before them, one male and one female. Naruto has never seen either of them before in his life. She has flaming red hair and glasses frame her equally red irises. He is quite a big guy, heavily muscled with orange hair and brown eyes.

Sasuke pulls back in order to address the two. Naruto takes the opportunity to return to his place as well.

"Karin, Jugo."

The one who must be Karin speaks.

"Who's your friend here?"

TBC

Thank you for reading. Please review.

Until next time…

1 This is an allusion to the tale of Alice in Wonderland. If you have seen the live action movie, you know that the Queen of Hearts can screech like a banshee.


	5. Confrontation, It's too Soon

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Naruto Shippuden and one of the Naruto Shippuden Movies.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, save for the plot line of this fanfiction.

**Goodbye Now Hello Tomorrow**

_**Confrontations - It's too soon.**_

Naruto's POV

"Who's your friend?"

The one, Karin, is giving me a very ugly look. I don't know what to think of it really. Did I wrong her in a past life or something? I chose instead to stare right back at her until she decides to give it a rest.

"Karin, Jugo, this is Naruto. Naruto - Karin, and Jugo. They are two members of team that helped me find Itachi."

That raises an eyebrow.

"You made up a team to locate your brother?"

"Yes. A four-man cell called Hebi. Members were Jugo, Karin, Suigetsu, and myself. Karin and Jugo came with me when I decided to return to Konoha. Suigetsu went off on his own to pursue his comrades, the great ninja swordsmen of the Mist."

I nod appreciatively. I had heard rumors of a group calling themselves Hebi in my travels, but I could never find out exactly who they were. They moved like Akatsuki, in secret, never staying in the same place for very long. Knowing now that that was Sasuke's group makes me feel a bit more, I don't know, I guess impressed would be the correct word by the Uchiha's determination all those years ago, granted it was a selfish determination.

The man, Jugo, shifted closer to me. I didn't know what to think of him. He was difficult to read. What I did notice easily enough was the way Sasuke and Karin stiffened at his approach. I had me wondering just how much of a threat this guy was.

"Jugo," Sasuke says in warning.

"I am in control, Sasuke-kun."

Control? In control of what exactly?

"So you're Naruto."

A hand caresses my cheek. I look down at it in wonderment. There's a familiarity in that touch. From that simple connection, I felt a presence inside him similar to my own, a monster of sorts fighting to reach the surface. I placed my hand over his on my cheek. I could practically feel the monster inside him flinch at the contact.

"You're cursed," I whisper.

Jugo nods at me slowly. Sasuke merely looks on studying the two of us. Karin, on the other hand is having a mini-freak out over my brilliant deduction. Hit the nail right on the head with that one, I guess.

The big man leans toward me placing his head beside mine on the side Sasuke will be unable to see him. He whispers something in my ear. It's so low that, were it not for my enhanced senses, I wouldn't have been able to hear him at all. Anyone else in the vicinity, no matter how close didn't have a chance at hearing.

"He loves you."

…

He pulls back, catching my gaze. We stare at each other for a while. My blue eyes are wide and full of confusion at the three uttered words. He merely nods at me. A sign of encouragement, maybe? Jugo moves away from me shattering the connection we both just shared. The man's eyes are now trained at the ground studying the gravel under our feet. I can feel Sasuke's eyes burning into me watching my every move.

Karin breaks the silence.

"So you're the Naruto Sasuke-kun has been working so hard to find."

I look at her, calculating the tone of her voice. She doesn't appear to have malicious intent. She sounds impressed actually as though she is appraising my most notable characteristics.

"It appears that way," I say warily.

"Umhmm, I can see why."

She eyes me up and down before slowly running poking her tongue out between her teeth. I'm not sure if she's checking me out or sizing me up. Either way it was unsettling to say the least. With a 'hn,' she dismisses me and turns to Sasuke.

"Really, Sasuke, we haven't seen you in ages. What have you been doing?"

"Busy with missions."

I turn away from them and pretend to eat as Karin holds a short conversation with the ever uninterested Sasuke. His cobalt eyes have not left my form. Needless to say, he has yet to even look at her despite her efforts to speak with him in what could be defined as small talk. I'm doing my best to tune them out.

As I force a bit of rice down my throat, Sasuke looks away.

1234

Sasuke slams a wad of bills on the table before us.

"Let's go."

Karin and Jugo left a while ago. Sasuke and I finished eating in silence and now that we seem to be leaving, I push what is left of my meal away from me and stand. I'm ready to return to my apartment, but Sasuke takes me by the arm and pulls me in the direction of the training grounds.

"What are you doing?"  
"Hn…"

He half pulls, half drags me down the street until he stops abruptly in a seemingly isolated area between the training ground and the village proper. He spins around to face me, looking me dead in the eye. I'm falling into twin pools of black coal.

"How did you figure that out about Jugo?"

I freeze. I didn't expect that question.

"Uh…" I look down to the ground away from his eyes. "I can identify with the structure of his chakra. He has an evil inside him that he can't control just like me."

Sasuke gives me a knowing look.

"Jugo is the only true carrier of the curse chakra Orochimaru used to control his hosts. He is the original source of that cursed chakra having been born with it."

My wide eyes look up to Sasuke's face.

"That's terrible."

I follow alongside him as he begins walking again. A question bubbles up from the pit of my stomach. Since our meeting yesterday, I have not seen, heard, or felt anything of the Uchiha's own curse mark. There is no pulse of dark energy. No fluctuation of power in his body as he suppresses it. There is not even a murmur of the evil foreign energy that should reside in Sasuke's body. Whenever I used to be near him in the past, I could practically hear it screaming for the chance to escape from the seal and spread through Sasuke's body. I wonder what has changed.

"Sasuke…"

"Hm?"

"Why is it that I can no longer sense your curse?"

Sasuke pauses in his walk and comes closer to me. His nose almost touching the top of my own. He is looking at me like he is seeing me for the first time, as true as that actually is. His eyes are intense, more so than I have ever seen them in my lifetime. A reminiscence of last night shines through them straight into my soul.

"I didn't realize you could sense my curse."

I give a slight nod. Our foreheads touch ever so slightly at the motion.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Itachi…"

My sapphire eyes widen. A hand trails up to tangle in the hair at the base of my neck. He comes ever closer. I can feel his breath on my lips as he speaks.

"A parting gift, he removed my curse from me."

A quick intake of breath. Itachi removed his curse seal. Sasuke is free. I direct my eyes to his shoulder where the curse mark used to rest. I lift a hand to his shoulder and pull aside the fabric of his uniform. Pale, unmarred flesh is revealed to me. Perfect skin, undamaged and seemingly untouched, is bared to my sight. I gasp in wonderment.

"Why would…"

"I don't know."

His lips inch closer and closer. Their warmth hovers just above mine and my gaze returns to his eyes. I don't know if it's because I'm naturally attracted to Sasuke because of his strength, if it's because of our bond, or even if it's because of the powerful influence of the Sharingan, but I can't help feeling as though I'm falling forever into those eyes. My soul is being pulled from my body into their eternal depths. I can't take it any longer.

Our lips touch. The gentlest of connections pulses between out joined lips. His hand on my neck tightens and I pull on his shoulder minutely. Need courses through my body to rest in the cavity of my chest. It grips my heart like an iron fist, and I can't catch my breath. The ache and the torment of all those lonely years spent away from him, trying to fill the void his absence left in my very being, well in the darkest depths of my soul. He deepens our kiss, pulling my body to his. Our eyes slide shut. Heat rises at every point of contact. I can't break away from this man. I don't want to. This man who I gave my heart to so many eons ago. I don't want to end this connection. Let this go on for eternity and forever.

But then, I feel the water trailing down my cheeks. I'm crying, and yet for the first time in a long time, I'm not sad.

Am I crying because I'm happy for him?

I pull back.

"Naruto…" he whispers against my lips.

I turn away, ready to leave. I can't stay here, anymore. It's too intimate, too real. I don't want to fool myself anymore. A hand grabs my arm and pulls. A muscled chest stands at my back. I won't turn around. Another hand finds its way around my hip. It pulls me further back into that strong body. It the body of a weapon, a true shinobi. A killer like myself.

"Naruto…" he whispers into my ear.

A shiver courses up and down my spine.

"Where do you think…"

"Oi, Sasuke, LOOK OUT!!!"

We both look up at the same time. Sasuke takes a step away from to see what's up, but unfortunately for me, the next thing I saw was a blur of white, and suddenly, I was on my back on the ground. There was something very heavy on my chest and a very wet, cold tongue was licking my face up and down.

"Bad, Dog. OFF NOW."

The animal was pulled off me by a rough pair of hands.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Sasuke. Akamaru never jumps people like this. I don't know what got into him."

Akamaru. Could it be? I tentatively raise my aching head. A face framed in brown hair with the two significant tribal tattoos greets me. Yup, it was Kiba. He isn't looking at me, though; he seems to be begging Sasuke's forgiveness. Sasuke, himself, has raised a delicate eyebrow at the other the man and looks to be quite amused by this turn of events. Kiba goes on blabbering the discipline with which he trains his animal. The K-9 in question is now sitting contently at the man's side. Akamaru is even bigger now then he was the last time I saw him. The overgrown mutt could pass for a medium sized pony now. His black eyes are staring right at me while the animal pants, its tongue hanging halfway out of its jaw.

I sit up with a groan, holding my head. The small noise cuts Kiba off from his tirade with Sasuke. Sasuke looks from me to Kiba and back again expectantly as if to say, "Are you going to help your dog's latest conquest off the ground?"

"Oh, right."

Kiba comes over to me and offer his hand while speaking.

"I'm terribly sorry about that, Miss. He doesn't normally act up like that. Are you alright, Ma'am?"

I look up at him, agitation and a headache showing on my face.

I lightly smack his hand away saying, "Miss? Miss! Who are you calling a Miss?!" I get off the ground and dust myself off. The dog-lover is staring at me slack-jawed. Do you think he gets it yet? As I stand up straight, I look from Sasuke to Kiba. The Uchiha has that bastard smirk on his face and his arms are crossed at his chest. Kiba just blinks at me comically, but then it seems to click in his mind. His eyes narrow at me quite noticeably.

"Naruto! You bastard! When the fuck did you get back here?!"

"Hn…"

I turn away from him. I so do not want to deal with this right now. Imagine my surprise when I find myself being turned back around, my ass back on the ground after being punch right in the face. I bit my tongue, too. The blood trickles out of the side of my mouth.

"Shit! What the Fuck is your problem, Kiba!?"

He grabs me by the collar, picks me up, and shakes me. If I didn't feel the migraine coming on before, I feel it now.

"Right now, you are, you good-for-nothing son of a bitch."

"Get your fucking hands off of me!"

"What's going on here?"

Neji, Shikamaru, Shino, and Lee have arrived. I almost stop breathing as I pull away from Kiba, punching him in the face, just to run headlong into a very large Chouji. I thought someone had been missing from the group.

"Argh, Naruto!!!"

That was Kiba.

"Naruto?"

That was Chouji. Unsurprisingly he has a very similar reaction to Kiba's. His eyes narrow at me. What is it with these people? I come back and all they do is glare at me. Ungrateful bastards.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Umm… Nowhere."

I try and back away from Chouji. I may be tough, but I know my limits. One good punch from this guy will put me in bed for a week. Trust me, I know. I would rather not go through that again. I back up in Sasuke's direction. The bastard is supposed to be watching over me, so I figure he'll help me out a least a little. At the very least, I can dodge around him…right?

Kiba is back up off the ground, and he is furious.

"Nowhere, he says!"

He approaches me again. His face it beginning to turn red. Akamaru just watches from where Kiba was just on the ground.

"Do you have any idea what you did? Do you have any idea how long Hinata cried when you left? Do you have any idea what it felt like for her to find out you were gone? Do you even have a single clue as to how it feels to find evidence that someone you love tried to commit suicide?"

I halt my movements and look at the ground. What is this feeling? Shame... Guilt... Because I didn't have any idea, I didn't have a single clue as to what I may have put some of them through. But they didn't know what I went through either. How could I tell them? They hate me. Especially now.

Kiba grabs my collar again.

"Kiba, that's enough."

I think that was Neji's voice. My attention is drawn to the sound of that voice. It has the same dark timber to it. It flows like silk through the air just like it used to when we were kids, but now it has aged like a fine wine. It's grown smoother, duskier.

"After all that, I swore that the next time I saw you, I was going to thoroughly bash your face in. But…"

But what Kiba? Don't have the balls to pound me into the ground. Everyone else does.

"…But Hinata made me promise that I would leave you alone. She said it was because you must be suffering with something, too. She made me promise, and unlike you I keep my promises."

He lets me go, but doesn't move. He's daring me to respond. I can feel the electricity of his muscles bunching, bracing themselves for impact with a foreign object. He wants me to punch him. The Naruto he knows would have gladly obliged, but he doesn't really know _me_, now, does he?

I lift my gaze to meet his eyes. I can't help it. Kyuubi's chakra has seeped into my irises. I know what it looks like. I've shattered enough mirrors in the last six years from looking at my own cursed reflection too long. I hate this look, but no matter how much I deny or fight it, it's who I am. My eyes, now crimson with slits for pupils, stare straight into Kiba's own canine shaped eyes. He backs up with a small gasp.

I can see the others: Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, Lee, Shino. (I'm not surprised to see Shikamaru is smoking) Sasuke is the only one I can't see because he is directly behind me. He has seen this gaze before anyway. It's burned into his sharingan's memory. He doesn't need to see it again. I hope he never sees it again.

Kiba speaks.

"What happened to you, Naruto?"

"Hn."

I move back. Looking down and then up while blinking, the crimson simmers away under my will alone. I turn around slightly, so I can turn my now sky-blue eyes upon Sasuke. I take a moment to just look at him. He hasn't moved since the last I looked at him. We make eye contact. He seems to be analyzing me in his head which is just something he would take the opportunity to do. However I no longer have the patience to deal with the questions I know he's thinking up right now. Especially after all this. Let him calculate me on his own. He won't figure anything out.

I look back at the ground as I address him.

"I guess I'll see you later."

I don't need his dismissal. I don't take orders from him. I take off in a flurry of leaves and wind. Never looking back.

Sasuke's POV

I can feel Naruto's energy moving along the village rooftops. He's heading back to the confines of his apartment. I guess I'll leave him alone for a while. I know where he is, so I don't see any need to follow him. I'll probably be able to check up on him later this evening.

"You weren't lying when you said Naruto has changed."

Shikamaru, a cloud of smoke hovering around him, appears to be calculating this most recent event. Naturally, the genius is curious about the behavior of Naruto. By all rights, the Naruto of the past would have punched Kiba senseless for the insinuation that he breaks his promises. This Naruto just looked at him with that pair of deadly eyes. A shiver racks my spine. I remember that look. I haven't received it in years, but I remember that look. If I hadn't been a monster myself at the time, I would have felt the most intense of fears for my being.

"It's pointless to lie about something so obvious."

Shikamaru gives me a nod of approval.

"What happened to him?"

I look at the ninja in front of me. Kiba is just now moving out of the position he was in when Naruto glared at him. Shock rolls of him in waves. Akamaru licks his hand in comfort. The dog-nin pets his companion's head tenderly with shaky fingers.

"I don't know yet."

Looking straight at Kiba.

"But I might have found out something if you and your dog hadn't come barreling in here."

"Tch, whatever, asshole? I doubt you would have gotten anywhere with your approach to the situation.

"Is that so?"

The nin opens his mouth to speak, but Neji cuts him off.

"The two of you looked quite cozy before Kiba interrupted."

I glare at Neji, crossing my arms across my chest.

"You were watching," I say raising my eyebrow.

"I figured it was Naruto you were with, but if I didn't know any better, I would have assumed you were eliciting with another of your many fans as you do to pass the time."

"Hardly, this is Naruto I'm dealing with."

I turn away from them ready to leave.

"Oh, is that how you deal with him?"

I turn my head around. I can see him out of the corner of my eye. The sharingan is activated. The Hyuuga has guts to imply what he is insinuating. I have no intention of using Naruto as a plaything or in making a conquest out of him. I am pursuing his affection. Something I once had and threw away for my revenge. Something I yearn to have again. I need only say one word to get that across the stubborn Hyuuga's brain.

"No."

I turn back around to walk away. They must think I'm out of earshot because I hear Chouji's voice whisper in the wind. The statement given is almost enough for me to blanch forward, but I retain my composure. I will have you know that while it may be true, it was never done intentionally.

"You know, I always did notice that he favored the blondes."

1234

I had errands to run for the rest of the day. ANBU meetings, household chores, mission reports to fill out, training katas that must be practiced daily etc. etc. By the time I was done with everything, night had fallen. The village was quiet for the most part. The occasional couple strolling along the main market road or ninja training in the silence broke the stillness. It is in this quiet peace that I make my way to Naruto's apartment.

I just want to check up on him. Not only is it my duty, but my own personal interest drives me to make sure he is still here. I actually worry that he may just disappear without a trace for the second time in six years.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I approach Naruto's apartment complex. His still vibrant energy encases my senses as I actively seek out its signature amongst the jungle of energies sources. Its presence washes over me like a healing mist filling my nerves with electricity at its raw power. I close my eyes in comfort at feeling his energy still and unmoving, but very much alive within the confines of his apartment. He must be asleep.

I enter through the back window, quiet as the dead. I hadn't noticed what a job Naruto had done cleaning the place up. The place shined in the moonlight with cleanliness. It was almost as clean as my place, almost. In the past, Naruto never showed an inkling of even be able to clean much of anything up let alone his own apartment. I'm impressed to say the least.

I remove my shoes before padding my way to his room. He is indeed asleep. I sit carefully at the foot of his bed and watch him. Calm, as his chest rises and falls. He sleeps on his back one hand on his chest the other below the sheets rests on his stomach. His head is turned away from me to the wall. Blond hair halos his head, neck, and shoulders as it splays out on the pillow. Seeing his sleeping face reminds me of watching a raging sea calm to a dull rocking motion once a storm has passed above the surface. But something unseen disturbs the peace.

Naruto exhales in a manner too forced for a sound slumber. His eyebrows crease and he bares his teeth emitting a low growl from the back of his throat. A nightmare, perhaps? Maybe a memory? I scoot my body closer to his. It is indeed a memory. He utters one word to confirm the fact.

"Sasuke…"

I close my eyes, briefly. Everything I've done. I'm despicable, I know. I don't deserve his friendship after everything is said and done. I tried to kill him twice. I remember the way it felt to ram my chidori charged hand into his chest. The muscles and bones tearing away as I reached the organ tissue. But that didn't kill him. Oh no, not Naruto. The destroyed flesh restored itself almost instantaneously, not enough to avoid pain or injury but enough to keep the blonde's heart beating. The skin of his chest is bared for me to see. He has a scar. An electric circle resting over his left pectoral muscle. It pains me to see it.

I can't stop myself from touching him. My hand finds his cheek in a soft caress. Almost immediately his pained expression softens and his muscles unclench. His breathing returns to a deep rhythmic movement of breath. My hand slides into his golden lock of hair. They are so soft. This is, what, the fourth or fifth time I've entangled my hand in his hair. I can't help it, it draws my attention faster than anything I've every encountered before in my life. Well, except for one thing in particular, the pair of eyes framed by that blond hair.

I should leave before he wakes. My fingers caress the skin of his cheek on last time before I move to get up. Now standing, my hand still on his cheek, I sigh looking at him one last time.

"Goodnight, Naruto," I whisper.

Blue eyes slide open and a blond head turns in my direction.

"Sasuke…"

Wide eyes look at me, pleading. Those icy blue depths are far more open than I have seen them since our reunion. They remind me of the Naruto I used to know. The boy who always spouted out declarations of becoming Hokage is back in that gaze. Naruto's expression was always like an open book. I could read exactly what he was feeling through his eyes. I can see that again now. I can see the surprise at finding me by his side in his home watching him sleep. I can see the longing hidden in those ocean depths. My heart clenches. It is so… beautiful. And I know the Naruto I knew did exist. He is still in there somewhere, a subsection of this grown twenty-year-old Naruto in front of me. The lost piece of an unsolved puzzle.

Naruto sits up all the way.

I can't stop myself. I close the distance between us. Pushing his lighter body into the mattress, I rest my chest against his bare one. We stare at each other for two seconds before abruptly our mouths interlock. The kiss I initiated this afternoon is nothing in comparison to this. I would liken it more to the one we shared yesterday, but on such a different level: intense, fiery, and passionate.

I push aside the sheets that pool around his waist, and rack my hands up the sides of his body. His skin is deliciously warm to the touch and his breath hitches as I settle my full weight on him. I take the chance to explore the confines of his mouth. I can taste him: minty from brushing his teeth with a hint of pine and fresh winter snow in the mix. It's intoxicating.

I find his tongue and we duel for dominance. Naturally, I win when his body relaxes into the padding of his bed and pillows. I move my lips from his and trail them across the fully exposed skin of this throat. I attach my lips to the junction between his shoulder and neck and suck. I've found a sensitive spot; I realize when a soft moan is uttered by the blonde beneath me. My curiosity peaked, I bite down lightly on the spot. A louder gasp rings in my ears and he arches further into my body. Naruto's hands have found my shoulders and chest. He doesn't push or pull me, more like he just rests his hands on my body. I unclench my jaws and lick the abused flesh in apology. Then I make my way further down his body.

The tip of my tongue skims across a single nipple before traveling lower and lower. When I reach the waist band of the black pants Naruto sleeps in, I halt.

"It's too soon."

If Naruto had been anyone else, any faceless stranger, I would have continued. It's in my nature to take what I want whenever I chose. But for us it's too soon. Six years of separation and in years before that, tension whenever we would meet is not ground for such a quick advance in our dynamic 'relationship'. I feel he is vulnerable, well as emotionally vulnerable as Naruto can get, right now, especially after that confrontation with Kiba. He may fall into my touch simply because he has no will to fight against me. I don't want this moment between us to be on whim because of his stressful situation.

I rise from his body and sit exactly where I sat not five minutes ago. Blue eyes open and give me a look that would melt ice, it's that heated. I openly smirk at his reaction. He doesn't take too kindly to that, I'll have you know.

"What?! Don't you…"

I place a finger on his lips to quiet him.

"It's too soon."

He gives me a peeved look before turning over on his side facing away from me. He's upset with me now. Another familiar feeling. I have long grown accustom to Naruto's anger being directed at me. Our genin days always consisted of fighting and bickering. There is only one difference. It would seem now he wants to be left alone. Woe for him. I don't feel like leaving yet.

Someone like Naruto should never have to suffer in silence like he has.

I lay myself down next to him, my lips close to his ear. I can smell his hair like this, sunshine locks. He tenses at my close proximity, but I wrap my arm through his around his chest and shoulder. My other hand rests in the center of his back. He slowly relaxes, once he realizes I have no intentions other than just holding him.

We lay in silence next to each other. Seconds pass by as minutes, minutes as hours. It's peaceful. Peace, it's such a foreign concept between the two of us that it starts me thinking about the past, how everything was different. How I was different. How he was different. I felt at peace only a handful of times back then, and only one instance do I remember with relish. I can feel him starting to nod off into slumber, but before he falls to sleep, I have something to say.

"Naruto…"

"Hmm…"

"Do you remember that sky ninja destroyer we took down together while I was with Orochimaru?"

"Mhmm…"

"There's something I want you to know."

"What…"

"While I watched you fall to the ground exhausted…"

I pull him closer so that I am speaking right into his ear. My next words are whispered.

"I felt you."

"Mhmm…"

He's asleep. I look down at him a while longer before untangling myself from him and the bed around my legs. It's time I went home and followed Naruto's example. Sleep sounds good right about now. It's been a long stressful day.

TBC

Thank you for Reading. Please REVIEW.

Firefly: *Gets on hands and knees* Please, I am begging you. Review.


	6. A Brief Reunion, Interrogation 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing save for the plot of this story and the original characters about to be introduced.

**Author's Note: This was written about four weeks ago, and I have to say the coincidence that some of the musings I put in the chapter happen to relate perfectly with the most recent manga chapters astonishes me. I wish I had published it sooner. Okay so anyway this is the point where Naruto starts revealing slowly what has taken place those six years of his absence. Keep in mind this is just the first tale. The rest to come are far more fantastic. I hope you enjoy the chapter**

**Goodbye Now Hello Tomorrow**

**A Brief Reunion, Interrogation #1**

Naruto's POV

Things are quiet right now. I could swear this is the first day I've gotten all to myself since I arrived back here. Granted I haven't been totally alone. My ever faithful shadow watches my every move. While Sasuke's presence is not entirely unwelcome, it's difficult adapting to the change of always having a shadow from always being alone. It's disconcerting to say the least, but I could get used to it I suppose.

"_I'm sure you could get used to evenings like the other day, too, so long as they keep occurring."_

'Get off it, Kyuubi.'

_"Aww, but why? I find it to be hilarious. You reaction the next day was priceless."_

'What are you talking about?'

_ "Oh nothing really, just that when you woke up the first thing you did was yell 'damn it, Sasuke' and blush at his absence."_

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

_"Sure you don't. You and I both know you fell asleep in his arms. Too bad you didn't get to wake up next to him. Hehehe."_

'How about you shut up about it? It hasn't happened since, and probably won't happen again. Now shut the hell up will you. I'm trying to think.'

_"Sure, kit. I believe you," _replied the fox, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The clearing I stand in is silent and still. Only the wind throws the tall grass and nearby trees out of their resting state, but only slightly. This is a good place to think. And I have a lot of that to do. My first storytelling to the Hokage is tonight. I need to organize my thoughts. Eloquence is not the problem so much as just remembering the exact details of my ventures during my six year absence. It's a puzzle I will have to make shape of with words. Which words exactly was the question. Which story to tell? There are far too many to count. All I know is I don't want to start at the beginning.

I run across the clearing into the forests of Konoha. Choosing a taller tree, I climb my way to the top. The sky is painted with shades of orange, red, yellow, and purple. The changing wavelengths of the sun's light span out into this beautiful array of color as they penetrate through the atmosphere at differing angles. A sunset never looks so beautiful as when seeing it for the first time in ages. It's been an eternity since I could simply sit and watch the sun set behind the horizon in peace. No need to worry about being seen. No need to wonder where I would find my next meal. The quiet only adds to the beauty of the setting. If only…

"Naruto..."

Sasuke's voice calling my name breaks me out of my train of thought. It's time.

I take one last moment to watch the sun disappear completely before I descend from my perch in the tree tops. When I finally touchdown, Sasuke is standing right in front of me looking expectant. I stare straight into his eyes. The world stills for what seems to be hours until a nervous bird is scared from its perch. I send a foxy grin to the man across me before I rush into the forest. The Uchiha follows close behind. I have every intention of attending my own interrogation, but I want to have some fun first.

I flit in, out, and between the trees. Every few minutes, I back track making sure I'm behind the Uchiha before zipping forward again delivering a teasing touch to his neck, back, or shoulder in my passing. He's humoring me for now, I can tell in the way he remains at a single pace never wavering. Every time I touch him, his fingers merely graze my arms in passing almost like a lover's fleeting goodbye kiss. Dare I say that the fleeting touch excites me? Or rather it would if I wasn't annoyed. It kind of bugs me that he's playing this so cool. I was hoping to fluster him, get him angry, or maybe even annoy him.

I pout to myself.

Instead I'm the one getting annoyed and frustrated. He's too good at doing that. Since we were kids he's been good at it. How pitiful.

In my self-lament, I fail to notice Sasuke change in attitude until it's too late.

Suddenly a hard, heavy body has rammed into me, pushing me to the ground. And just my luck, the ground is just starting to slope downward. Perfect fucking timing, Sasuke. We roll, head over heel, all the way down. Arms and legs entangling. Our heads collided a few times. It felt like a good ten minutes before we finally land with a pair of unison grunts in a heap of limbs on the forest floor finally stationary. I'm glad I ate a good three hours ago, because a full belly would have promptly been emptied after that feat.

I'm shaken from my daze when, Sasuke starts moving above me after about five seconds. I'm lying flat on my back, probably sprawled out now that Sasuke has untangled our bodies, and boy am I hurting. I feel the Uchiha straddle my hips and hands grip my collar only then do I decide to return to reality. I open my eyes, which have been firmly shut in all of the rolling, to find a very angry Uchiha staring down at me.

"Was that necessary, Uzumaki?"

I push myself up onto my hands, holding my now aching head, making the ANBU captain in my lap scoot back a bit.

"No, but you got to admit, up until you threw us down the hill, it was pretty fun."

The rage he's emitting simmers down a bit, but his eyes narrow at me.

"Fun, you say." His voice is darker, sultrier. The grip on my collar tightens and pushes me back into the ground. He brings his face but an inch from mine. I can feel his breath on my lips. If just his touch before was driving me into a frenzy, this is going to send me into insanity. "I don't think you know what real fun is."

And with that I find a pair of very firm lips against mine, ravenous and greedy. Our teeth clash and bruise each others' lips. Tongues duel for dominance. Sasuke's hands grip my hips only to move slowly up under my shirt all the way to my rib cage. He digs his nails into my sides and drags his hands all the way back down. The sensation is absolutly delicious. I never stood a chance against those hands. I yield submission entirely, bucking up into the Uchiha with abandon. And yes ladies, he is very much aroused. I can feel the beginning of his erection through the fabric of his pants.

I moan into his mouth as his teeth nibble my lower lip.

The ANBU captain chuckles against my lips briefly. Then he releases my mouth. He brings his face down to my ear and murmurs into my ear. "Mmmm, tasty." He pulls back and stares at me. He grinds his hips into mine none too gently all the while staring down at me. Then he smirks and breaks away from my gaze. He stands up, brushes himself off, and walks away in the direction of the Hokage tower, stopping only to deliver a message.

"Let's go. Tsunade is waiting."

_"That bastard"_

'Thank you , Kyuubi," I think to myself.

That fucking… Oh my God. I swear this guy has more than enough potential to be the most infuriating person on the planet. Who the hell does he think he is playing with me like that? Why I ought to…

"As much as I would like to finish what we've started, we have an appointment to keep."

He turns to look at me. His facial expression betrays nothing, but the bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face is more than enough. Hahahaha the bastard is just as uncomfortable as I am. Hn, serves him right.

I pick myself off the ground, dust myself off, and follow behind the pompous bastard. What the hell, right? It was a good day for me. I don't get those very often, so I'm not in the mood to spoil it on his behalf. Besides I'm man enough to admit it was partially my fault as well. We walk in silence, both of us trying to calm ourselves down before we reach the village proper.

1234

Entering the marketplace, I pull my hood up over my head. There has been no public announcement of my return, and most of my old friends still have not had the opportunity to run into me despite my being in town already for a week. I have neither seen nor heard from Sai, Sakura, Ino, Kakashi, Konohamaru, or even Jiraiya to name a few. And as for Iruka… He's only person I've been avoiding very, very carefully. I owe him an explanation that I just don't have yet. And personally, I've never been able to stand seeing him cry, which I know he will. Just like I knew Tsunade would strangle me, whether it had been purposefully or with a very strong hug, and Sasuke would try to kill me, by this I mean try to punch my lights out.

The Hokage Tower loams in front of us as we approach. I'm not actually paying attention to it. I'm really studying Sasuke's katana. It's a beautifully made sword. "Kusanagi" he called it once while we had been talking. Orochimaru's sword originally, Sasuke ripped it from the snake's stomach before he killed him. It sounds almost a bit too much like the original tale with Sasuke as Susanoo and Orochimaru as the eight-headed serpent Orochi. I wonder if it is the real kusanagi. Cause if it is, Sasuke better watch himself. The three sacred artifacts bring nothing but trouble to those closest to them. I should know…

_"How about instead of staring at the Uchiha's back all day, you figure out what you are going to talk about during your first interrogation."_

I close my eyes briefly, tearing my eyes from Sasuke's back. I can feel then headache coming on. Kyuubi was right. I still had no idea where to start. Tonight was not going to be a good night. To start at the very beginning would make it all the more distasteful. They don't need to know that part of the story until it becomes relevant to them. It's infuriating though. I've only been preparing for this all day, and I still don't know where to start. Wait…

I look back at the sword resting on Sasuke's back.

'Kyu, I think I know which story to tell first.'

_Sasuke's POV_

Never thought I would grow used to Naruto's silences. Six years ago, never in my wildest dreams would I have expected the blonde grow so calm and calculating. Last week, his silences unnerved me, but now that I've been around him I realize that he doesn't speak because he has nothing to talk about. Or rather, nothing he wants to talk about anytime soon.

All day today, I left him to himself. I simply stood back and watched him. I wonder why I didn't do that in the first place. I would have been so much easier just to sit back and study him for a day or two instead of dive in headlong and try to intimidate the blonde which I tried. I guess I didn't expect him to be so changed. Well maybe changed isn't the word to describe it. Maybe he is just different then what I ever knew. I hope tonight I will get some of the answers I want.

I stop and turn to look at him for a moment as we reach Tsunade's door. There is a presence on the other side that I fear will shake him, but it was going to happen sooner or later. I just hope now is the right time for this meeting. Who knows what kind of hell will break loose? Blue eyes look back at me expectantly before he begrudgingly removes the hood from over his head. The look on his face says, 'are you happy now.' While the answer is no, I like being able to see his face in its entirety.

I close the short distance between us raising my hand to his scarred cheek. He stiffens at the touch. I bring myself about a breath's width away from him just barely touching my lips to his. He visibly relaxes at the gesture at least until I pull away, then he just fumes at me. I smirk at him, shake my head, and knock on the door.

"Come in."

Opening the door, I step into the room and quickly head over to take my place near the hokage's desk. I didn't need to look around to the other occupants of the room to know what is about to happen next. Though honestly, I didn't expect him to make an appearance at the very first interrogation session with Naruto.

"Jir…ai...ya…?"

Naruto's stutter is quite entertaining. The said sannin moves from his place beside Tsunade in Naruto's direction. The shocked blonde is stunned, unable to move.

"Naruto…"

Jiraiya raises his hand and, SMACK, slaps the Uzumaki across the face hard enough to cause the junchuriki to tumble sideways, but the motion is stopped when Jiraiya's hand comes up to grab Naruto by the scruff of the neck and pulls the blonde up to the old man's eye level. Then suddenly, the old sage has his arms wrapped tightly around the ninja he once thought of as a grandson. Tsunade and I watch quietly as Naruto grows limp in the other's arms and eventually raises his own to encircle his once mentor. The blonde then buries his head in the sannin's shoulder. My chest actually hurts watching them.

"Ehem," Tsunade clears her throat. Jiraiya and Naruto break apart and stand side by side as though nothing has changed in the last minute. "I believe," Tsunade continues. "We have some answers waiting to be expressed. Wouldn't you say, Naruto?"

The blonde nods his head in understanding and then walks over to the nearest window, the one that overlooks all of Konoha. I take a seat in one of the nearby couches. Something tells me it's going to be a long night.

_Naruto's POV_

Looking out the window, I actually feel at peace with the leap I'm about to take. Tsunade is seated at her desk, Sasuke is on the couch behind me, and Jiraiya has taken a seat on Tsunade's desk. That man has no tact at all. I continue staring out the window just watching the world beyond. I stand in silence for several more moments.

"Naruto…" Tsunade's voice rings out unsurely just as I was about to speak.

"I can't start at the beginning. Those events changed me into what I am now, and what that it I still don't know." Sasuke is looking at me now; I feel his eyes on my body. I can tell he's fishing for a reading. Sasuke has always been very good at reading people, but I pride myself in the fact that he only ever saw through my façade once. It was at the Valley of the End, but that was so long ago I almost didn't remember the slip in my composure.

"You may or may not have noticed that I am no longer completely human. Just know that I have been injected with a serum that caused me to merge chakra and mind with the Kyuubi. It has affected my physical appearance and physical capabilities as well as provided me with some little know techniques, but it has it's downsides which you will eventually find out about, but tonight is not the night for those revelations."

I turn away from the window and face my now intrigued audience.

"Naruto, this isn't a game. We need to know everything you've been up to in the last six years. That was one of the demands placed upon you by the council. If those demands aren't met, I can't protect you from them."

I walk over to the couch and take a seat next to Sasuke.

"Nah Nah. Don't worry, Baa-chan. I will tell you everything, but I will do it on my own terms and at my own pace. I'm an excellent storyteller. Just let me tell you the story of my life one piece at a time. I promise you won't get bored."

No one says a word. I wonder if they are all genuinely interested in what I have to say or just waiting for me to begin for the sake of getting the night over with. Too bad for them I plan to go until dawn. Looking at them though, it's easy to tell they all want to know exactly what I've been through these last six years. Well why keep an anticipating audience waiting.

"I will start with an incident that took place three years ago. I was currently residing in Wind country near one of Suna's border towns. I owed Gaara a favor from a few months before, and he asked me if it would be possible for me to do some reconnaissance for him on the outskirts of Wind, a small village by the name of Hoshi no Suna."

_Three years ago_

_Third Person POV_

Naruto hates sand. It gets everywhere. The fox-carrier is covered in sweat, grim, and all around muck, and he is just barely reaching his destination. When the Kazekage said the village was on the far side of the country, he really wasn't kidding. Not only is this place in the middle of nowhere, not to mention hard to find, but it took two weeks to reach it travelling nearly nonstop from Suna. If you were to ask me to describe it, I would call it a small dustbowl just waiting for the wind to blow it away.

Looking at it, you wouldn't find anything interesting about it at all save for the fact that it's completely uninteresting. There are a few farms scattered around. The irrigation system works just fine. Enough water to last until the next rain. The market owners lead decent lives. Nothing is overpriced, surprisingly. And people are even friendly to their neighbors. Sounds like a perfect little town.

But Naruto won't find any of this out until later. Right now is sole destination is the local inn in the center of town. As he's checking in, a few questions fall from his lips. He inquires about the trading system among other things. The old woman behind the desk explains the village runs on a free-trade system. They barter for good instead of paying a set price, trading goods for goods instead of using money to pay for items unlike the greater villages.

"Do you accept money for payment at the inn?"

She smiled sweetly.

"Of course. We get a lot of foreigners who practice both business methods around here, so we do our best to accommodate for what they have to pay with whether it's money, pots, jewelry, or physical service."

"What kind of physical service?"

"Well, we once had a young samurai come in here and chop wood for us. That boy must have chopped us enough to last the rest of the year. Used his personal sword too. Beautiful thing. The sheath and hilt were pure black with an ivory elephant tusk hanging from the wrap. The tusk had the kanji for lightening embedded in it."

'Interesting. Why would a samurai chop wood with his own sword?' thinks Naruto. 'Samurai are usually way too arrogant to allow such a dishonor, using his own sword for such a mundane task. He should have just paid with money unless he didn't have enough. But that's basically impossible. Samurai make good money, better than shinobi for half the work.'

"_Perhaps he's not a real samurai?"_ inquires Kyuubi. _"It's not unheard of to find a rouge ninja masquerading as something other then what they really are."_

'Perhaps… But why choose a samurai guise…'

"Young man…"

Naruto snaps from his daze.

"Sorry, I would like a room for two months."

"Alright. Under what name, may I ask?"

"Kage. Hikari Kagei."

She gives him a confused look but rings him up anyway asking for a deposit. A 7,000 yen and at than end of his stay, a remaining 7,400 to be paid in full. Pretty good rates if you ask me. Not that Naruto really cared. Gaara was paying for everything, naturally. What did the junchiriki care if he went over a few yen of his quota? Thought really, with those rates he could have probably rented 3 or 4 rooms and stayed well under quota.

1234

Ten minutes later found Naruto sitting in a vacant room. It was small but comfy. The blonde was actually looking forward to making the little room his home for the next two months. It was free first off and secondly, he had staying far worse on his travels.

Over the next few days he took in the sights, sounds, and landscape of Hoshi no Suna. After about a week, Naruto still had no clue what Gaara sent him out there for. Things were beginning to look like a paid vacation, granted the resort wasn't exactly the standard for a destination honeymoon but a vacation none the less. But then a week after his arrival, something interesting happened.

Naruto was eating lunch as he usually did in the market when they made their way into town. Sometime during his investigation, he discovered a nice little shop that made all sorts of traditional Fire Country cuisine. Actually, the owner is originally from Konoha. A kind middle aged man named Kumo. His wife had died during Kyuubi's attack, a ninja apparently. Her last wish was for him to take their baby boy and leave Konoha. She didn't want her son to grow up exposed to the violent lifestyles of shinobi. Naruto himself had met the boy, or rather man, on a few occasions. His name is Koishi, and he's probably around Sasuke's age.

But I digress. Naruto was speaking to Kumo about something or other when the shop owner fell silent. He kind of backed up into the darker corner of his shop and went about preparing meals or pretending to that is. The whole street had grown silent. Mothers pulled their children inside; old men guided their cattle off the road. Everyone cleared the main street, only to stand along the edges cowering as though waiting for something terrible to happen.

Coming down the street was a group of five people on horseback. The front man rode a stallion of pure black. This dark rider carried with him some kind of whip at his side ready to slash the skin of anyone who got near enough. They passed by in complete silence making their way down the road. Naruto rose, laid some money on the counter, and took to the rooftops after these strangers.

The blonde followed them to near the end of town where they were stalled by an 'inconvenience'. Three children decided at that moment to chase a lost ball into the middle of the road. Their cries of excitement, loud enough to surprise the horse and shake the leader in his saddle, warned Naruto of the impending danger these innocents were in.

"Filthy Rats!" yelled the leader as he raised his whip into the air preparing to strike down the children. No one moved except for Naruto.

SNAP

The whip strikes Naruto's arm, raised in defense, coiling itself around his forearm. The smell of fresh blood permeates Naruto's nostrils.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

Using his free hand, Naruto tugs the weapon out of his assailant's hands.

"Who me? Nobody. Just someone who's willing to teach you a lesson or two," I said throwing the whip back in his face. A gasp echoed throughout the crowd. The three children behind him took the opportunity to pick up their lost ball and run back into the alleys of Hoshi. The rider is glaring death at the shinobi. Nothing Naruto isn't used to, mind you, but the thought counts for something, doesn't it?

"Insolent brat," he pushes his horse forward. "I'll teach you manners."

He kicks the blonde right in the chest hitting the old chidori scar dead center, eliciting pain along his entire body; the pain drops Naruto to the ground. And a hand on his shoulder keeps him there. It's Kumo. Not wanting to fight the man, Naruto sits and glares as the rider's lackeys pass him by.

"Wise choice, mutt. You don't know who you're messing with."

And with those endearing words he takes off after the others. They pass out of view quickly, but not before Naruto gets a clear view of the last rider. He's carrying a sealed satchel on his side, and on his back, rests an obsidian katana. From the hand guard hangs an ivory elephant tusk; azul eyes, as sharp as they are, could easily make out the lightning kanji embedding dead center.

1234

Later that night, Naruto prepared himself to execute some real recon. He spent the day collecting information on this supposed "samurai." To the innkeeper, his name was Genji, but to several of the shop owners, he was called Irani. Quite frankly, the blonde didn't know what to make of it.

'What's the point of giving out two different names?'

"_Maybe both names are his."_

'Then why not give both names to everyone. I bet they mean something important.'

"_Too bad you're not smart enough to figure out whatever that may be. And even if you were I highly doubt…"_

The now aggravated blonde tunes out the rest of the fox's dialogue and looks himself up and down. No samurai in his right mind would ever be impressed with his garb, but a rogue would certainly appreciate it any day. He has been a nuke nin for nearly three years now.

Loose fitting blood red pants hang low on his hips to gather at his ankles and be collected in his boots. A long-sleeved blouse of the same color hangs loosely over his torso, black mesh just barely peeks out over the top of his collarbone were the v-neck cut of the shirt doesn't cover. A black leather sash tied around his waist completes the look. His various weapons pouches hang from his arms and legs.

With a nod of approval, Naruto grabs his cloak off the bed and sweeps out of the room

Two hours later and we find Naruto at the point where he could just faintly make out hoof prints in the sand. 'I should be on them at any minute,' he thinks. But then it's gone. He's in the middle of the dessert, it's the middle of the night, and the scent he's been tracking for the last two hours just vanished. Just vanished into thin air.

"Fucking shit…" yells Naruto as he plops himself down into the ground.

However, instead of landing on a nice soft pile of sand, something very hard and quite solid caused a ricochet of pain to course from his tailbone all the way through his spine. After rolling around for several minutes whimpering in pain, the blond started digging through the sand were he landed. Just a few seconds later, lo and behold, a trap door lies buried beneath the sand.

'Well that explains why the scent just disappeared. They literally went to ground.'

Naruto slips through the door easily to find himself in an old wine cellar, small and gloomy. Choosing his steps carefully, the shinobi finds his way out into the hall. There is very little light to illuminate the way. Were it not for Naruto's acute eyesight, he would have been lost. Dusty paintings decorate the walls. The occasional torch, riddled with spider webs, lights the path. After about ten minutes of traversing the foreign passageways, the sound of raised voices reach Naruto's sensitive ears.

"What do you mean you recognized him?"

"I knew him a long time ago. You were a fool to anger him."

"How dare you call me a fool, boy!"

There's a loud slamming noise followed by the sound of shattering glass. Naruto frowns at the ruckus. Are they attacking each other? The door unlocks, and Naruto takes cover behind a corner hallway leading in the direction of the cellar. He pulls his hood over his head to hide his brilliant hair. The door opens and out walks the whip-carrying rider from before. And he is angry. You could practically feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. The intensity of such an emotion from this mysterious man made the hairs rise on the back of Naruto's neck.

"Zora, Veelox to me. Leave our young samurai to himself for the night."

Naruto smirks in the darkness.

'Just who I was looking to meet tonight.'

The leader disappears down another hallway with two others following him. Giving a new meaning to phrase silent as the grave, Naruto approaches the door on silent feet. Sapphire eyes light up at their owner's fortune. They left the door open. Perfect. Pushing lightly on the door, a kunai finds its rest in the palm of Naruto's hand. Crouched and ready for attacked, Naruto prepares to make his grand entrancing into the medium sized room. But he halts, hearing a peculiar sound.

"Why did I come here? Ojissan, Okassan… I miss you both so much."

He's crying.

Quietly, Naruto enters the room. The walls are a bare pale grey. The obsidian sword lies across a futon in the center of the room. Plain brown sheets cover the thin mattress. Various odds and ends decorate the floor of the room, most notable, the shattered picture frame. The samurai in question is really a boy, couldn't be older then fourteen. He sits on the far side of the bed his head in his hands. From Naruto's stand point, you could only see the back of his head. Dark brown hair cut to the child's shoulders is nothing but a ratty mess, dirty and obviously unwashed for some time. And yet, to Naruto, there was something strangely familiar about this child.

Naruto didn't know why, but his heart bled for this boy. It ached to comfort him, but at the same time he had the overwhelming desire to go give the crying boy a good thump on the head. It's puzzling. The Naruto from three years ago might have been full of compassion for any lost soul, but the Naruto of now was so guarded, he rarely ever felt such emotions.

"Why are you crying?"

He had to have jumped about 3 feet in the air landing directly in front of Naruto. The child in question backs up into a nearby wall trying to keep as much distance between himself and his soon to be attacker as possible. Deep brown eyes stare at the concealed blonde in shock, fear, and something akin to curiosity.

"Who are you?" he asks.

"I believe I already asked you a question."

Brown eyes narrow at the dismissal. Naruto studies the boy in front of him knowing the boy hasn't a chance at identifying him because of the hood over his blonde head. Those eyes look insanely familiar, but for the world of him, Naruto couldn't place him anywhere in his memory. Either he was playing a trick on himself or the memory was so old, it had nowhere to rest in his mind but in the nearly forgotten past.

"And what business is it of yours?"

"None. I just want to know."

He remains mute.

"Well, what is your name?"

He is quick to respond to that.

"Show me your face and I'll tell you my name."

'Eh fair enough,' thinks Naruto.

Clawed hands rise to the hood. As easy as running his fingers through his hair, Naruto slides the hood off his head. The boy's eyes shift from to curious to examining. Then finally recognition lights his eyes.

"I remember those whisker marks anywhere. Naruto?"

'He knows my name.' A delicate blonde brow rises in interest. Those brown eyes are staring into him desperate for Naruto to recognize him. Seconds pass and when no recognition shines out of Naruto's cold gaze, a single tear falls down the boy's cheek.

"You don't remember do you?" he sniffs.

Naruto watches as the tear drips to the floor. Brown eyes become glassy as warning of the tears to come, and suddenly, Naruto remembers. Memories of a crying little boy come back to him. A mission to a far off country. Assassins, hopelessness, executions, the death of a teammate, and a very crazy bridge builder.

"Don't you remember? It's me Inari."

TBC

Thank you for reading. Please review.

i Rough Translation "Light's shadow"


	7. The Mirror Darkens to Daylight Dreaming

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto in anyway shape or form. I am making no money off of this piece, but the main and sub plots are all mine along with any original characters I decide to throw in.

**Goodbye Now Hello Tomorrow**

**The Mirror Darkens unto Daylight Dreaming**

_Present_

_Naruto's POV_

"Inari!"

Sasuke's voice throws me out of my story. It's three o'clock in the morning. I look at him for a moment then lower my head back into the couch cushions I settled in some time ago when I decided to pull my legs onto the sofa to be more comfortable.

"From Wave Country?"

"Yup Inari. The same little boy whose family we helped all those years ago. He'd grown up a lot. I last saw him on his sixteenth birthday. He's taller than me now, and he's making a life as an apprentice to a real samurai in Lightning Country. That kid has really grown."

"Why did he leave Wave?"

Jiraiya shifted in his seat toward Tsunade.

"Do you think they plan on telling us who this Inari is and how they both know him?"

Tsunade just looks at us expectantly before simply shrugging her shoulders.

"We met Inari on our first C ranked mission as genin back when team seven consisted of Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto, and I," explained Sasuke. "We were the ninja squad chosen to escort his grandfather home after he had requested protection from thieves. In reality, he was being targeted by shinobi assassins. This was when we encountered Zabuza and Haku for the first and last time. Zabuza is the swordsman of the Mist from which Suigetsu inherited his sword."

"Kakashi fought Zabuza while Sasuke and I fought Haku. We all got quite a scare during that battle," I say eyeing Sasuke next to me.

"And why is that?" asks Jiraiya.

"Well we all thought Sasuke was dead for a whole ten minutes. Scared the crap out of everybody. Sakura cried. I got pissed. Haku died from overusing his jutsu. Zabuza went crazy and killed himself among others. And just as we were getting ready to call it a day, Sasuke just wakes up like nothing. The only noticeable difference was he looked a lot like a pin cushion."

Sasuke's glaring at me now. How sweet of him.

"Pin cushion?" inquires Tsunade. She has a funny look on her face. One eyebrow raised and a very confused expression being sent to her ANBU captain.

"I had a bunch of senbon needles in me from saving this idiot's life."

"You were willing to sacrifice your life for Naruto's back then?"

Tsunade and Jiraiya are looking at Sasuke like he has grown another head. If I wasn't sitting right next to the Uchiha I would have laughed out loud. But being in such close vicinity to the raven, I decided it wasn't such a good idea for my health. Sasuke, for his dignity's sake, just shrugs his shoulders at them.

"Don't ask," he snaps before turning to me. "So how did little Inari end up in Wind Country with these sinister characters and under the guise of a samurai to boot?"

"His grandfather passed away about five years ago in his sleep and his mother remarried when his was ten. Her new husband was apparently a swords master, and he decided to teach Inari the way of the sword to keep him from being bullied. When Inari turned thirteen, his stepfather made him the sword he uses now, and his mother gave him her blessing to continue his study of the art if he wished. So Inari left home to study under a samurai. At least that was the plan."

"And how did he end up in this group of rouges?"

"Well the leader was an ex-samurai. So I'm assuming that he noticed Inari's potential and offered him a spot as an apprentice, but really he just wanted to use Inari as another lackey. But Inari never actually told me how he ended up with that bunch."

Sasuke nods in quiet acceptance.

_Three years ago_

_Third person POV_

The two talked for about an hour. Inari told Naruto all about his life and the things he'd learned from his stepfather. He also told him a little about his travels with this group. They were thieves. The group used their different special abilities to orchestrate phenomenal heists. Being the smallest and most agile, Inari played the role of retrieval person while the others provided other relevant services such as communication shuffler, decoy, and locator technician. The group called themselves "Owl."

The leader was Shion, second in command Heihachi, mechanics expert Veelox, weapons master Zora, and Inari. They prefer to steal items with a link to the past, specifically god or demon-made items hence the name "Owl". An animal so embedded into legend, no one has ever been able to learn its complete nature.

Inari stalled in his explanation and went to his sealed satchel. After unsealing the bag, he pulled out a mirror a mirror.

A rather large hand mirror, it was beautifully crafted. Silver and gold framed the glass shaped into a perfect circle. Gems of blue, purple, red, and orange decorate the frame. By design, the frame was a vine. The silver and gold entwine with each other, weaving in and out of each other only to branch out away from the mirror with leaves adorning their ends. The decorating gems scattered along the frame all in the colors of the sky at sunset were set in such a way as to appear as blossoms. All in all, it was an amazing piece of art.

"They call it Yata no Kagami," Inari explained. "According to legend, it was used to lure Amaterasu out of her cave after her brother, Susanoo, destroyed her beautiful home in a drunken rage and killed all of her hand maidens. The sun goddess was so entrance by her own reflection that now she takes ever opportunity to find a mirror to lighten. Hehe, that's why light reflects off of mirrors."

Inari offers the treasure to the rouge ninja in front of him. Naruto takes the mirror into his hands, studying it.

"It's supposed to be a mighty powerful instrument of divine intervention. When the gods had control of it, they used it to alter the life of a mortal, turning them from a meager farmer into a great hero. In Amaterasu's hands, a mortal could look into it, and so long as he was pure of heart, his greatest wish would be granted. Isn't that something?" The boy had to have the biggest smile on his face as he said those words. Blue eyes shifted skeptically back and forth between the mirror and the storyteller, a blonde eyebrow raised at Inari. Nothing was ever that good to be true.

Upon seeing the empty look directed toward him, the brunette's continence shifted in the negative direction as he averted his eyes.

"Well I guess like all things, it has a very negative side as well. Since obviously the gods no longer possess it, it can be used by mortals now only at a price. In order for a wish to be granted, a human life must be given in exchange. But if it ever were to fall into the hands of a demon or even half-demon, the mirror will gain the power to steal a soul from the body of an onlooker. Meaning if a demon were to hold the mirror and force a human to look into it, that human's soul would be sucked out of his body to spend the rest of eternity in the dark abyss that lies on the other side of every mirror. What a terrible fate, no?"

Naruto sighs.

"And you're sure this is the same mirror?"

Inari nods very seriously.

"You wouldn't believe the hell I had to go through to get it."

"…Alright, say I believe you. Why are you showing it to me?"

Inari hangs his head, hiding his eyes from sight.

"I'm in a lot of trouble, Naruto."

"Trouble?" Suspicion emanates from Naruto's eyes.

"When I stole mirror from the temple, I refused to give it up to Shion. He wants to use it make a wish, and I couldn't let him take a human life like that. He's furious with me. I think he means to kill me," he utters in the lowest of voices. He makes his way across the room towards Naruto stopping right in front of the shinobi. The grip he places on Naruto's shoulders could very easily have been bone-crushing on another person. As untrusting as Naruto had grown to be in his few years of being a missing nin, he couldn't reject the cry for help right in front of him. The fear in Inari's wide brown eyes was very real. "_They_ are going to kill me," he said gesturing to the door. Some comrades, Naruto thinks with a scowl.

Naruto was in deep conflict. He wasn't one hundred percent sure if he was making the right decision on this, but he couldn't leave Inari here alone, knowing he was in danger. But taking the boy with him put him directly under Naruto's charge and responsibility; not to mention, bringing the boy and the mirror along carried with it more than enough potential to place him in a very dangerous predicament. But wouldn't he be giving up responsibility anyway if he were to leave the boy to his fate. Yeah, Naruto never could just leave well enough alone.

With a sigh, Naruto pulls out of the hands trying to cut off the circulation from his shoulders to his biceps and picks up the mirror from the side of the bed he dropped it on. Slipping it inside his thigh weapon pouch, Naruto turns to the boy he once knew.

"Get your stuff. You're coming with me."

A light lit up in Inari's eyes for all of two seconds then he was off like a light picking up anything in the room he might've wanted or needed. He didn't have very much at all. It took him all of two minutes to make a bag full of his belongings, hikatana strapped securely to his back. When he was ready, they left the room quickly. With the sneaking suspicion rising in his gut that his time here needed to come to a close as soon as possible, Naruto rushed down the hallways at close to top speed. He made a note to be impressed with Inari's ability to keep up with him in the dark passageways. They made it without trouble to the cellar, where Naruto ushered Inari up the trap door. He was about to follow behind when something got a firm hold on his left shoulder. More like someone.

SMACK

The punch across the face sends the blonde straight into the side wall, taking out a couple of stray crates at well. The smell of dust and decay burns his throat and nostrils making him gag momentarily as the inability to breathe clean air suffocates him. But soon enough, a pair of rough desert hands claw at him.

He kicks out wildly in the direction of those hands. He can't see from the dirt in his eyes and he's still struggling to find oxygen. His right foot connects with the chest of his assailant sending him backwards onto the ground where he flails out in a panic. The blonde dives after him, getting himself out of the dust cloud, into the fresh air, and onto the body of a medium built fully grown male, who couldn't have been more than two inches taller than him. They wrestle it out in the dust of the cellar. Another punch strikes his jaw causing him to bite his tongue. Light flashes onto the pair providing Naruto a brief glance of the man's face. It's Veelox.

The jinchuriki spits blood into the sneering face above him as grimy fingers grope for his neck. Naruto retaliates by striking at Veelox's throat. Clawed fingers just barely brush along the thief's Adam's apple as he pulls back, lifting Naruto and throwing him headlong into a nearby crate to land right on his already aching back. In a daze, the blonde fails to notice the katon coming straight at him. It hits him in the chest, dead center, throwing him further back into the wall. Veelox approaches with a straight saw in hand. The blonde reaches down into his pouch

Veelox's face is a mere inch away, when Naruto pulls out the first thing he grabs from his pocket. It's the mirror. Now mirrors aren't exactly considered weapons by most ninja, save of course for the late Haku, bless his soul, but Naruto's shock at hearing a very close scream pierce his ears was well shocking. Black chakra emanates from the mirror. Veelox's fire mixes with the swirling mist. His eyes grow cold and empty. The energies around the mirror continue to swirl until, in a flash of bright colors, all the chakras are sucked into the mirror.

Azure eyes widen in shock.

Veelox's body falls to the floor, cold, lifeless, souless.

_Present_

Dawn rises above the horizon, and Naruto falls into silence.

Everyone around is trying to soak in these words. This is only the first part of this story. Our first interrogation session is over, and Naruto has already revealed one horrible new ability gained from merging with Kyuubi. Naruto's eyes are downcast. Blonde bangs cascade in front of his face. Is he ashamed? …sad? You might say he should be. He took a man's soul straight from his body. Though it may have been unintentional, the horror of that is enough to excite fear in anyone's heart.

"The mirror took his soul," Tsunade says thoughtfully. She looks straight at Naruto.

"Do you still have the mirror?" asks Jiraiya. Although he looks tired from staying awake all night, he's attentive as ever.

"No, sensei."

He stood up and walked to the door.

"Am I dismissed, Baa-chan?"

She has questions, anyone can see that, but she relents giving a nod of approval.

With a short salute, he's out the door.

"Ibiki, did you get all of this new information?"

The shinobi in question steps out of the shadows. He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the three thick scrolls that now contain the entirety of Naruto's tale on paper. A handy new jutsu, learned for situations like this. All of Naruto's words are on paper. Signed, sealed, and delivered, protected for only the Hokage's eyes to see. The Uchiha, who hasn't moved a muscle since the blonde walked out, turns tired eyes on the head of the interrogations squad. Needless to say, upon Sasuke's return, the two became intimately introduced. To this day, Sasuke cursed his stubborn nature and despised the man.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

The scrolls land with a gentle thud, after a light toss, on the Hokage's desk. Sasuke glares at the offending documents for a moment, then with a suppressed yawn, the dark-haired youth stretches back into the couch cushions, before laying full length along the sofa, arms behind his head and eyes closed. Tsunade regards her exhausted ANBU captain with a bit of amusement. Having Naruto around has definitely had its impact on the Uchiha. He's far more lucid then before. She smiles at him.

"Thank you, Ibiki. You are dismissed."

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama, I feel it would be much more efficient to place him under my custody. It wouldn't take me too long to get the information we need out of him."

Tsunade and Jiraiya merely glare their feeling on the subject to him, but Sasuke's eyes snap open.

"Those were not the terms decided upon by the council," he snarls rising to his feet.

"Easy, Sasuke," Tsunade warns. "Ibiki, it's true those weren't the terms agreed upon by the council, and I see no need to subject Naruto to your brand of interrogation. In his time away, never once has he acted against the village."

"That we know of. Maybe he's hiding something-"

"Ibiki, please enough," interrupts Tsunade with a gesture of her hand. "Go home. Get some rest. It was a long night."

And without another word, the jounin leaves out the door with a whoosh of his trench coat. Tsunade looks at Sasuke who is still standing at attention glaring at the door through which Ibiki just disappeared.

"Take the day off, Sasuke. Leave Naruto to himself. He'll be fine."

He stares at her in disbelief, one eyebrow raised.

"You sure about that?"

She nods.

"Go get some sleep."

Sasuke allows the creakiness of his muscles to ease out before he starts making his way to the door. Never, has he ever wanted a bed more than now. He could lay in it for days.

"Oh, Sasuke, you are going to Hinata's wedding tonight, right?"

Oh, right. Maybe a few hours would have to suffice.

"Hn," he huffs with a shrug. And then he takes off out the door in the direction of his waiting bed.

Tsunade shakes her head. That boy. The chuckling beside her draws her attention.

"We can take that as a yes. I wonder who he's going to take with him."

"We can only imagine," the blonde woman whispers with a smile.

1234

He was tired but not sleepy. He should have been. But he doesn't have the desire to will himself to sleep. Oh god, he should have been passed out, in his bed, keeled over with exhaustion, and yet, instead, Naruto is wandering around the empty marketplace all alone with nothing but his thoughts and the shadows of an empty district for company. Twilight still rings in the atmosphere unwilling to welcome the day. The sun hasn't even finished disconnecting from the horizon. The light just barely makes itself known past the Hokage Mountain.

The shadow of the street is eerie. It's far too quiet.

Empty shops, haunted by the ghosts of the day, glare darkly at the young shinobi. With Naruto's enhanced senses, he can practically see the wraiths of the dead as they carry on their after lives under cover of silence. Ghosts… He could see them from time to time. The spirits of Konoha were often welcome company to the demon carrier as he was growing up. These aren't evil spirits. Oh no, they are anything but menacing. Shadows of the past, ninja who died during battle, even small children taken before their time during a miscellaneous raid on the village.

Ever since he was a child, all alone with no one to care for or about him, Naruto found the presence of Konoha's ghosts comforting. They kept him company in the chilled silence of dawn and never had anything bad to say about him. They were his guardians in the darkness, ever present and ever willing to listen. Those were the times when he didn't have to run from anyone, didn't have to feel the resentment, and didn't have to feel so alone. They were the silent witnesses to the tears present at the dawn after an evening of living nightmares.

'But then the sun rises…' Naruto thinks to himself as he feels the warmth of the sun's rays caress his whiskered face. He leans with his eyes closed against a pillar outside a dumpling stand. He knows that soon the streets will open and people will leave their homes to go about their days. But he can at least enjoy the stillness while it lasts for the next hour or so.

Just when he starts to settle himself, there is a shift in energy. Blue eyes snap open to a very different setting. The shops are no longer freshly painted, cozy little building. Ruins spread out around him. Broken boards cover most of the windows, pillars stood, splintering into halves, and rooftop shingles dangled off of the ledges. Something dark had fallen over the street. The innocent spirits disappear into the darkness while shinobi long dead fall into attention. A dark chakra ripples through the street, causing shivers to rack Naruto's form.

"Kyuubi…"

A whisper on the wind reaches his ears.

Naruto ducks into the nearby shadows behind a pillar to look out into the road without being in the middle of the menacing chakra. What was happening? Just a second ago, everything was just the way it had always been. What is this energy?

BANG

An explosion to his right, throws Naruto into the street. Another bomb goes off right where his foot landed a split second before, he manages to roll away from the danger. He gets up and runs for it, more explosions going off all around him.

'I need to get out of here,' he thinks as he is about to round a corner only to come smack into a very solid object, knocking him flat onto his back. A pair of feet clad in standard issue ninja sandals fly past his head on his way to the ground. Blue eyes are screwed shut and his chest is heaving from the adrenaline rush. All he could do was thank every god in the heavens his hood had fallen over his head and eyes.

"Ahhh… Really!"

That voice is familiar.

A single blue eye slides open to find a silver-haired man helping the ponytail wearing brunette he just plowed into off the floor. Oh God. Just his luck. The brunette pulls out of the taller man's hold, getting up in huff and turning in Naruto's direction.

"Why don't you watch… Uh, do I know you?"

Something seemed eerily familiar about the cloaked person in front of them. The chakra signature was prominent with a light air around it, but it almost seemed as though it was masking a great evil deep inside. Iruka took two steps toward the blonde before Naruto backed himself up in a near panic. He did not want to see either ninja in front of him for two very different reasons.

"Whoa. Take it easy," consoled Kakashi. One hand outstretch to the stranger before him. There is something familiar about this person huddled up in a cloak dragging themselves away from the pair. Naruto pulled himself up to standing and turned away from his former teachers ready to make his get away, but a gloved hand gripped his shoulder pulling him around flipping the hood of his cloak all the way off with a gentle flick of the fingers.

"Naruto…" came Iruka's voice on the wind.

A single gray eye widened momentarily before filling with some strange emotion Naruto couldn't identify. Icy blue eyes gazed right back at the copy nin, panic masked underneath a façade of contempt.

_"I didn't see anything in him worth training."_

Those words resounded in Naruto's head like a mantra. All these years and it still hurt to think about them. The blonde clenches his fists at his sides and grits his teeth. The bastard never even realized that his own sensei was Naruto's father. And people had called him stupid, che…

Naruto turned around abruptly to head to the safety of his apartment. He couldn't deal with this now.

"Naruto, Matte! You're going to Hinata's wedding tonight, right?"

He halted at Iruka's outcry, turning his head back to the chuunin ever so slightly. That's right. The wedding of the year was tonight, and he had been invited personally by the bride.

"Hai," he said quietly before disappearing into the dawn to his home, to his bed, to the silence of sleep.

TBC

Author's Note: Alright everyone. Just to clear up something before anybody gets any ideas. There will be no KakaIru in this story. I have nothing against the pairing, but I just can't see it realistically happening. Sorry to anyone who was hoping for that couple.

On another note, I need feedback. I know what this story wants to be, but I want to know what you all want it to become. If you want to flame me by all means go ahead. I don't take offense to constructive criticism. Give me some lovin.


	8. Not a Request but a Demand

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I'm not making any money off of this. All I own is a little frog purse which I have named gama kichi; he's just the most adorable little thing.

'thoughts'

"**Kyuubi"**

"_memory speech"_

**Goodbye Now, Hello Tomorrow**

**Not a Question but a Command**

It was about three o'clock in the afternoon when a pair of obsidian eyes slid open for the first time since dawn. The hottest part of the day past, birds chirped outside his window playing the warmth of the summer afternoon. And through the slits of the window blinds, thin trails of sunlight found their way onto a still occupied bed warming the bedroom of one just barely waking Uchiha Sasuke.

Muscles stretch and contract under pale skin as the Sharingan wielder rose from the bed allow the silken sheets to pool at the center of the mattress while he sat on the side. Calloused hands shift through ebony locks before that man rises in all his naked glory to shower. He had been so physically and mentally exhausted that morning from the all-night "interrogation" that he decided to forgo his usual sleepwear in favor of sleeping nude. It's easier to get up and shower that way, and he had a long night ahead of him, granted tonight was supposed to be one of the most celebrated nights of the year.

The steam from the shower soothed his tired muscles. Hot water coursing over his body in rivulets mixes with sweat and soap. His hands briskly massage his scalp as he lathers his hair. The sensation entices his still half asleep mind to go over his plans for tonight once again. And he had plans (Which you will find out later). He had been contemplating them all week.

He raises his right hand to his left bicep. The corded muscle yields to the pressure of his fingers in a gentle massage as the digits of his hand sweep up to his shoulder, which he rotates under the steady stream of water. He traces a single diagonal scar outlining the very top of the rotator cuff running to the center of his collarbone with his index finger. He slept on it wrong again. The old wound suffered during his fight with Itachi is acting up again because of it. He'd have to ask Karin for another salve to put on it. In the mean time, he lets it soak under the water for another five minutes before deciding it was time to get a move on.

Twenty minutes later saw him locking the front door and walking the direction of the market district dressed in a black, long-sleeved shirt and low rise black pants. The hustle and bustle of midday should be long gone by now seeing as shops were to be closing in about two hours. It was indeed a special occasion tonight for some of the finer shops in town to close down early in honor of the marriage of the Hyuuga clan's heir to a well-enough liked village jounin. All of the village may not be in attendance, but they most certainly would all be carry out some form of celebration. But if you had asked Sasuke, Hinata could have done far better. But who was he to judge; they were in love after all.

He smiles to himself at the thought. He wasn't so cold a bastard that he couldn't admit the two deserved a happy ending after everything they went through to solidify their relationship in the colorless eyes of the Hyuuga clan. Most pointedly in the emotionless depths of Hiashi. No one had any idea how they pulled it off, and a year after Kiba's proposal when no wedding plans had been carried out, people started to doubt whether or not the couple would ever be allowed to wed with the blessings of Hinata's family. But here he was, walking into one of Konoha's finest boutiques looking for an appropriate wedding gift for them.

"Uchiha-san! Welcome. Welcome. Looking for something for the wedding?" greets the young woman at the cash register, a brunette with shallow gray eyes and a well endowed bust. Definitely younger than him, she was a teenager, no doubt, ready to fawn over "Konoha's Most Eligible Bachelor". However she was correct in her assumption.

Politically speaking, he was inclined to present the couple a respectable gift, Hinata being the Hyuuga heir and he being the last Uchiha. But seeing as he never really cared for politics, Sasuke was looking for this gift to be a token of congratulations and gratitude to Hinata for the support she had provided him upon his return to the Leaf.

Not many knew of the story, but upon his return, the konoichi had been the only person to offer him a support. She had been the one to reintroduce him to the rookie nine and the rest of the shinobi of Konoha. She had been the one to tell him of Naruto's suicide and abandonment. She had been the one, after months of interaction with him, to testify to the council that he was indeed trustworthy and capable of being reestablished into the ranks of Konoha ninja as a jounin. Her motive: "Naruto believed in you, so I will too."

Yes, he owed the girl more than enough.

This particular shop carried some of the finest, most expensive glassware, jewelry, artwork, pottery, and china in the village. You name it they most likely had it. If he couldn't find anything suitable here then he might as well give up cause there was no way any other place would have what he was looking for.

Sasuke could feel the curious eyes of the shop keeper on him as he made his way through the long isle of glass artwork. He was looking for something small but meaningful. Preferably useful. Then he saw it.

It was small enough to carry by hand. Large enough that they could hang it in their kitchen or over their dining room table for lighting. It was a small crystal chandelier. Black pearl hung in spaced out drapes from the three extending leaf and vine decorated candelabra. Glass crystal decorated the silver chain in sprinkles. It was indeed beautiful, but the factor that clinched Sasuke's decision was the three rounded gems hanging from the center candelabra in descending order. A ruby, an amethyst, and a diamond, in that order, dangled from three thin golden chains, also decorated with crystal, to chime together once the item was hanged. Red for Kiba, purple for Hinata, and a diamond for their future children.

He called over the shopkeeper, indicating the desired item. The teen bustled over in excitement. She chattered on and on to him about what a perfect choice it was and how noble of him it was…yada yada yada. Needless to say he ignored her while she packaged the gift in a good sized box and purple silk. Once she finished bagging it, he offered her the appropriate amount of yen, taking his leave of the shop and continuing on his way down the street.

One task down one to go.

He was about to enter a formal wear shop when a voice called out his name.

"Oi, Sasuke."

Black eyes turn to take in his once upon a time jounin instructor standing before him.

"Konichiwa, Kakashi."

"Looking for suitable dress for the wedding, I presume."

"Not quite."

"Well then you can help me out."

A huff of annoyance was the Uchiha's only response to the porn reading ninja as he followed him into the small shop.

"Actually, I know someone who is going, but doesn't have the proper attire. I thought I'd do them a favor."

"Hmm, not like you to give favors freely," uttered the masked nin as he looked over a rack of green and gold yukatas. "Is this person of any particular importance?"

Sasuke set his eyes on the man, a gleam of apparent disinterest present in his dark orbs. "Possibly. What's it to you?" He goes back to browsing the merchandise. He can tell the copy nin was grinning at him despite the ever present mask hiding his features. What would the old pervert know anyway?

"I'm just curious is all. Nothing to do with a love interest, I presume."

When Sasuke didn't respond, he forged on.

"Of course not," he mumbled in sarcasm before returning to his own business.

Sasuke walked up and down the many isles. He wasn't finding anything appropriate at all. Some of the yukatas and kimonos were completely inappropriate for the occasion of a wedding, having seemingly been more inclined to senseless partying rather than anything else. One of the female kimonos had an extra flap down the front. The tag had read, "Pull aside for a good time." Definitely inappropriate.

"Here we go," he heard Kakashi say from the other side of the room. Intrigue pulled him along to find the silver-haired ninja viewing a rack of perfectly acceptable male kimonos. Browsing through them for a couple minutes to no avail, Sasuke backed up with a sigh of despair. Nothing here fits.

He turns to leave, but that's when he sees it. A flash of orange in the darkest corner of the store. He takes a moment to pull the garment off the rack. The color was perfect. As far as size goes, it definitely looked like it would fit. Yes, this could definitely work, it was almost perfect. But what if the person it was for didn't approve?

"That's a fine kisodo, if you ask me."

Kakashi had snuck up behind him, peering over his shoulder at the item in his hands. The copy ninja threads a single finger through the sleeve of the elegant robe. Sasuke puffed slightly in annoyance at the calloused hand now resting on his shoulder, but Kakashi paid him no mind. He hummed his approval before whispering into his ear coyly.

"I think it will suit Naruto perfectly."

1234

"So how is our favorite blonde?"

Sasuke sipped his tea gingerly then watched the brown liquid swirl before responding.

"He's changed."

"I saw. Definitely a looker, isn't he? But far too quiet compared to what he used to be, I'd say."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Naruto made it clear he had no immediate intention of approaching anyone least of all Kakashi. He didn't understand it, but he figured the blonde had his reasons for not wishing to see his former sensei. Yet here was Kakashi sounding as though he'd already seen the blonde

"He went to see you?"

"Not at all. Purely a chance encounter early this morning." The copy nin chuckled under his breath. "He ran headlong into Iruka while we were discussing affairs of the academy. Some hooligan broke in the other night, and we were heading to the Hokage to report the results of our all-nighter. Most boring affair I've had to deal with in-"

"Wait, he ran straight into Iruka?" Odd. 'There is something definitely wrong with that,' thought Sasuke. 'He's so hyper sensitive to his surroundings now, he should have known he was there.'

"Yes. It seemed as though he was running from something, but when I checked the direction he'd come from, I found nothing out of the ordinary for so early in the morning."

Sasuke sighed. He'd have to get to the bottom of this. It had been clear to him from the beginning that Naruto was suffering. A blind, deaf, and dumb person could have seen that. But what ailment could affect the blonde so?

"Has he been suffering from any nightmares lately?"

He eyes the table thoughtfully.

"I don't know if they are nightmares per say, but he doesn't sleep well. I think his memories assault his subconscious in effort to torture him."

Kakashi's lone eye widens a fraction as if raising an eyebrow.

"What makes you think that?"

"I overheard him in his sleep several nights ago. I think he was dreaming about the Valley."

"Hmm."

They needn't say more. Both know what happened that day. The day of Sasuke's defection, the day Sasuke tried to take Naruto's life the first time. Knowing the blonde, Naruto would probably agonize over that event for the rest of his life until he found some form of solace in Sasuke himself. They both needed closure.

In the banters they'd shared since Naruto's return, never once was Sasuke's original defection brought up. Never once didn't Naruto mention Sasuke's attempt on his life. But the Uchiha knew what thoughts lay swimming beneath the surface. They screamed out in the blonde's hesitance. Naruto may not have been afraid of him, but he certainly was wary, and Sasuke was all too aware of that fact, and it hurt him.

"Perhaps you should speak with him about it."

Oh, if only it was that simple. Sasuke never relied on words to portray his thoughts and emotions. Action always spoke louder than words no matter the context in which they were executed. Maybe he should stop holding back with Naruto. If his intention were still unclear to Naruto, it was high time he cleared the issue. Time to pull the blonde forward out of the past and into his arms.

"Hn."

Sasuke rises from his seat, placing some bills on the table to pay for his tea. It's about five o'clock. High time he parted ways the nosy jounin. Good things he was leaving, too, cause just as he stepped away from the table a pink blur shot into the tea shop.

"Konichiwa, Sasuke-kun."

He nods his head at her on the way out.

"Sakura, care to join me for tea," he hears Kakashi say.

"Hai, Kaka-sensei."

'Oh thank God.' He'd have to remind himself to thank the masked nin later, but right now he had a troublesome blonde to take care of.

1234

"Mmmm…"

A small sigh escaped the slightly parted pink lips as the snoozing figure on the bed rolled over the umpteenth time that day. Blue eyes slide open languidly to gaze at the sunlight streaming through the blinds in an orange haze. Was it so close to sunset already? He'd slept soundly the whole day. The thought almost made Naruto want to become nocturnal. Hey, one can dream right.

His back arched off the bed in a perfect bow as he stretched his arms out above his head, curling his toes with the tension. He then allows himself to fall onto the mattress limply, shutting his eyes to the dying sunlight. Maybe a few more minutes would do him some good. God knows he hadn't slept this good in about, hmm, he didn't know, ever. That's his line of thought until he hears the soft padding of footsteps down the hall.

'This is not happening,' he thinks to himself shutting his eyes tighter. Maybe if he was a quiet as possible, they would assume he was out. But of course this was as good as a fantasy for a ninja. You can't help your sleep-hazed mind from dreaming as it goes.

"You're still in bed."

Sasuke's standing in the doorway, customary smirk adorning his lips. A wrapped box, seemingly designed to carry a garment, rests comfortably under his arm as he leans against the doorframe.

"Go away…" Naruto mummers from his place on the bed while attempting to snuggle further into his nest of sheets hell-bent on ignoring the Uchiha.

When Sasuke doesn't respond, Naruto thinks that just maybe he'd won this little match. But Sasuke silently places the package on the floor beside the door and makes his way over to the blonde seemingly trying to return to the comfort of sleep. The smirk never leaves his face as he grabs a firm hold on the layers of sheets and tugs, hard. Sasuke winced ever so slightly at the pain on his hearing when the scream reached his ears.

"What the HELL!"

I guess Sasuke didn't take into account the fact that Naruto wasn't just lying under the sheets but was indeed tangled in the fabric seeing as the pile of sheets along with the blonde in question landed in a messy pile on the floor. He didn't seem too overly concerned with the discovery, however. Sasuke chuckled under his breath at the sight before him. Molten blue eyes must have been glaring daggers at him.

The smaller male was lying flat on his back on the floor. One leg still clinging to the edge of the bed, the other tangled in the fabric winding its way around his waist and right arm. Blonde hair, lightly mused from sleep, stands at attention at the impact of the floor. The look in his eyes could kill but state of the rest of his body was just too open. That body is just too ready for the taking. A predatory gleam shines from Sasuke's eyes, and the Uchiha moves with a purpose in Naruto's direction.

"What the hell is your problem?" says Naruto rising up onto his elbows allowing the sheet fall over his waist.

A pale hand hovers just a hair's breath away from the newly exposed flesh as Sasuke settles his weight over the blonde's waist straddling his hips. He leans over brushing his lips to the shell of Naruto's ear and whispers in a husky timber.

"It's not healthy to sleep all day."

A tongue flicks out tasting the tanned flesh of Naruto's neck.

"But if you want to stay in bed, I guess I could allow you another hour or so under my supervision."

A shout of "teme!" was all Naruto managed to get out before Sasuke pushed him down onto his back. Hungry lips devoured his while another hand yanked at his bed ragged hair. The Uchiha was burning him that much was clear to him. His touches hotter than Kyuubi's crimson chakra and his kisses filled with steam. It was the heat of want. Never in his life, despite everything Naruto had ever been through, had anyone ever touched him was such unadulterated want. Sasuke's very presence had the power to excite the more primal emotions within him, and it was a struggle to maintain his facilities when presented with the powerful force Sasuke's body exuded without even trying. It was a side effect of having the Kyuubi inside him. (The demon was drawn to power, so naturally, Naruto's baser instincts reacted most pungently to anyone with as much or more power than him.)

Naruto gasps, his eyes sliding shut, when Sasuke's lips leave his in favor of burning a hot trail down his jaw, neck, and chest. Tan hands find their resting place on Sasuke's head and shoulders. When teeth close over his left nipple hard, Naruto exhales a very audible moan, the pain mixing and swirling with the pleasure in his body. Sasuke nurses the bite carefully with his tongue and thumb before traveling over to Naruto's right pectoral where he halts his movements.

_"Sa-Sasuke…"_

_"Perhaps you should speak with him about it."_

Azure eyes slide open at the gentle kiss being placed over his heart. Sasuke's body hovers over him, his hands encircling Naruto's torso in a gentle embrace. Obsidian orbs trace the imperfect skin in front of him behind the curtain of his bangs.

"Sasuke?"

The Uchiha turns his head away from Naruto, resting his cheek against the pale scar spanning over Naruto skin. He listens for Naruto's heartbeat; the steady rhythmic beating is reassuring. It lets him know that the body underneath him doesn't just carry the name Naruto Uzumaki, but it lives and breathes it. This is Naruto – the same loud-mouthed, obnoxious blonde he always called an idiot. This is his dobe.

"Teme?"

Naruto runs his fingers through the silky black hair in a hope to entice the ANBU to look at him. Sasuke complies, and they find themselves once again gazing into each other's eyes. Sasuke takes Naruto's hand into his own, placing it over the scar he inflicted on the blonde. His eyes watch their entwined fingers for a moment before shifting so their foreheads touch, a hand rises up to tangle in golden silk. Naruto closes his eyes at the care and affection behind the gesture. It's more than someone like him ever deserved, but when Sasuke jerks his jaw up, the Uchiha is suddenly the center of Naruto's universe.

It was as though those black eyes could see straight into him.

"Never again."

The two words hang in the air as Sasuke pulls back and away from the blonde before pulling the dazed male from the floor. The sheet drops to the floor in a small pile at the jinchuuriki's feet. Realizing his lack of dress - having slept only in boxers, the whiskered man blushes faintly and moves to get dressed while the Uchiha retrieves the package he brought with him from across the room. When Naruto turns around from pulling on a pair of sweat pants, said package is hovering but an inch away from his nose.

"What's this?" asks the blonde as he takes the silk wrapped box in hand.

"I took the liberty of getting you something appropriate to wear to the wedding tonight. I figured you didn't have any formalwear lying around." The Uchiha's voice carries a hint of teasing arrogance behind it. Naruto only narrows his eyes at the man before him. What did he know anyway?

"First of all, I never said I was going. Secondly, I already have something to wear," he snaps shoving the package roughly back at Sasuke as though the garment had offended him. His annoyance only rises when the ANBU captain merely glances at the gesture like it's of no concern to him. A single delicate eyebrow rises when neither male moves for nearly an entire minute.

"Well then first of all, you don't have a choice in the matter. You're going. And secondly, anything you've used in combat, no matter what condition it's in, is not appropriate for Hinata's wedding especially if you are going with me."

He turns his back on Naruto heading for the doorway.

"Is that so?" A threat hangs in those words.

Sasuke's not concerned as he turns around.

"Yes. You're in my charge, and I will be in attendance at the wedding. You are going with me so I can keep an eye on you, and so you can fulfill Hinata's wish of having you present on one of the most important days of her life."

"Bastard. When you joined ANBU, partying on the job wasn't part of the job description." Naruto throws the package as Sasuke, who catches it almost as easily as he can breathe. "Lucky for you, I was planning on going, but I don't need your charity."

Sasuke closes his eyes in aggravation. The Naruto of both the past and the present were definitely nothing if not stubborn. Naruto takes the opportunity to make his way around him and into the living space of the apartment on his way to the kitchen. He's pouring himself a glass of water when Sasuke finds him. The dark haired nin walks directly up to him and turns him around to face him. He pins him against the counter and stares straight into a pair of peeved blue eyes.

"I assure you, you will never receive charity from me."

Sasuke's husky voice sends a shiver up Naruto's spine causing a glint of pleasure in those jewel toned irises. The manipulative bastard was doing this on purpose. Feeding Naruto's animalistic nature with his most dominant tone of voice. It was enough to grab the slumbering Kyuubi's attention.

"I'm not asking you to wear this kisodo; I'm telling you."

At this point, it was obvious to Naruto that Sasuke had no idea how his presence was affecting him. That commanding tone, however much it seemingly irritated him on a surface level, was enough to send Naruto over the edge with lust. That voice demanded respect, and Naruto's instincts told him to submit to every order this man could possibly give him when he spoke like this. Kyuubi was so attuned to the current affairs of his host. Naruto could practically see the demon licking his chops in excitement; he was hard pressed himself not to chew his bottom lip in anticipation, but luckily his was pulled from his train of thought when the package on which the current discussion was about was placed heavily into his hands.

"Wear it, Dobe."

Naruto stood still as a statue. Hearing the old insult roll of Sasuke's tongue in that manner was almost enough to send him into fury, but judging by the look in those obsidian orbs, now was not the time to go on a rampage. Blue eyes followed the Uchiha's movements as he made his way out of the small apartment with one last mention of returning in two hours. It wasn't until ten seconds after the door had closed behind the ANBU that Naruto allowed himself to sigh in defeat against the counter.

**"Now that's what I'm talking about."**

Naruto huffed away from the counter and slammed the glass of water on the dining room table before stomping to his room.

"What are you jabbering about?"

**"Oh, nothing. Just thought I'd comment on that positively marvelous display of raw testosterone being put to good use."**

"Oh shut up," he growls at the fox. Naruto could swear the damn demon was, nine out of ten times, more trouble than he was worth. And he was most annoying whenever he decided to crow about something, like now for instance.

**"Haha, still can't admit to yourself that you're infatuation, I see. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins the second he approached you."**

"Yeah, I have you to blame for that." He throws the package onto the bed and stamps into the bathroom where he turns on the hot water. He's brushing his teeth a little harder than necessary but hey, he trying to get a point across here.

**"I can only influence your preferences so much. You're the one who finds yourself enjoying the Uchiha's advances all on your own."**

He spits into the wash basin and cleans his mouth out with water before undressing and stepping into the steaming stream of shower water. He scrubs diligently.

"He's infuriating."

**"All the better, knowing your temperment. You need someone sure-minded to influence you."**

"I don't think so."

Feeling the shampoo soak into his hair helps him ignore Kyuubi.

"**I'm just saying any man with the ability to establish his domain in my book can make quite the worthy lover."**

"Gee, thanks for your input, but I'm not interested."

The soap rinse from his hair and body, Naruto turns the water off and exits the bathroom one towel around his waist another drying his hair. Just what he needed, a quick five minute shower to remove the filth and get the mind working.

"**You will be,"** laughs the fox before he settles back into the corner of his cage into his nap. Naruto rolls his eyes at the demon's antics thinking, 'now that that's done with.' He crosses his arms as he approaches his bed.

"What do I do with you?" he says looking at the small package sitting innocently on the bed. Taking the parcel in hand, it weighs almost nothing to the tanned arms toned with years of rigorous training. The black silk tied box is quite beautifully decorated as is custom in packaging kimonos and other like clothing. A gentle tug is all it takes to pull the tie loose, and Naruto finds himself removing the lid of the box in curiosity. His breath stills in awe of the item of dress before him.

The fabric is pure silk, and it's unbelievably soft on the skin of the arm in which he carries it. The kisodo is mostly black with gold hemming along the cuffs and collar. Luminescent midnight blue threading courses through the fabric in various designs, mostly clouds and spirals, but what made the garment stand out was the obi. It was bright orange, long and streaming with gold and silver leaf patterns etched into the stitching. A pair of black foxes appeared to be running through it to the end which tapered off to a diagonal black hem. Stunning was the only word Naruto could think of to properly describe the patchwork in front of him. Simple yet elegant, it was something one would have to take a closer look at to fully appreciate the craftsmanship and artisanship of the creator.

Naruto was entranced, and suddenly, he had no qualms about submitting to Sasuke's request (despite the fact Sasuke was demanding it of him). So he set about getting himself ready for the event of the year.

TBC

Thank you for reading. Please review.

You guys gave me some really good feedback for the last chapter. I loved that and it really helped me to get this chapter out faster, no lie. I'm not even saying that just so you'll review.


	9. Two Detours and a Wedding

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I would never dream of stealing from the mangaka.

"**Kyuubi"**

'thoughts'

**Goodbye Now, Hello Tomorrow**

**Two Detours and a Wedding**

**"I must admit, kit. You look positively ravishing."**

The mirror in front of him displayed a man of medium build wearing a finely styled kisode over loose fitting black pants designed to be worn underneath such formal attire. Black, fingerless gloves adorned his hands and trailed all the way to his biceps to about two inches below the seam of the kosode sleeves, and a black mesh shirt peeked over the neckline of his attire. His hair was sexily disheveled to provide a profound effect on anyone looking. Blue eyes were lined in subtle midnight blue eyeliner which brought out the faint lines of purple coursing through his irises. He had decided against his better judgment to allow his whisker marks to show from his face, in the past had he been attending an event like this he would have applied foundation to the signature markings so as to hide his identity, but what was the point for hiding himself from those he formerly called friends.

Tonight was either going to be his best or worst performance. It had been a long time since he had to put on his act of aimless stupidity, and if he was being honest. It was all he could do to hide the sadness building behind his eyes and the dark restless anger swirling in the pit of his stomach. Even now looking at his reflection, Naruto could see the stormy clouds whirling just beneath the surface of his skin, a need to kill and cry at the same time. It was a battle he had been losing within himself for far too long.

**"Why the long face?"**

"I really don't have a good feeling about this at all."

**"And why is that?"**

"I just don't"

**"Naruto, calm down. You're working yourself up again."**

"I am calm."

**"You won't be in another couple seconds if you keep thinking."**

"Will you shut up?"

** "Naruto…"**

"Why did I come back here." The blonde was nearly shouting at his reflection.

**"Whoa, what's brought this on?"**

"I don't know." Naruto took one long look at his reflection. He felt his blood pressure rising. His heart rate elevated into a sporadic rhythm uneven and dangerously fast. His eyes shifted over the scars on his cheeks, his blonde hair, and his jewel-toned eyes. He was _so_ ugly. "I can't do this!" he breathes before hurrying out of the bathroom and into his bedroom where he begins to shove anything within arm's reach into his travel bag.

**"Naruto, calm down."**

"No. I'm getting the hell out of here."

"Like hell you are…"

Naruto froze.

Sasuke had been watching silently from the door frame for several minutes as Naruto had rampaged around his room shoving away anything he could find. The Uchiha's eyes, red with the Sharingan, were reduced to slits in light of the rage boiling under his skin. Deep crimson stared out at Naruto beneath those dark eyelashes as the blonde fought to calm his nerves.

He glanced at the clock. It had only been an hour and forty-five minutes since the ANBU captain had left him to his own devices.

"You're early."

"Apparently it's a good thing I am considering I've just found you breaking your agreement." His eyes shift from the half filled bag of clothing to the open drawers. "Or were you just planning on moving?"

His breathing under control, Naruto exhaled forcefully through his teeth. The muscles in his arms and legs relaxed releasing the tension from his form. His shoulders sagged and his whole form seemed to crumple in on itself as he collapsed into a sitting position on his bed his head cradled in his hands whether it was from exhaustion or relief, he didn't know, but he just lost the ability to stand in that short passage of seconds.

"I don't know what happened."

Sasuke entered the room carefully taking note of any and all sharp objects within Naruto's vicinity. Evaluating the situation, Naruto's apparent confusion and the maddening rate at which he'd been shoveling items around, he came to the conclusion that the blonde may have just suffered a spontaneous panic attack. Such a thing wasn't too hard to imagine with everything that had been happening lately.

"Naruto…"

No response.

Sasuke slid the dresser drawers shut and pulled the half empty bag onto the floor to push the weapons on Naruto's nightstand into it. He shoveled a couple other scattered weapons into the duffle bag and pulled it over his shoulder. With a light touch to Naruto's knee in assurance, Sasuke let himself out of the room to giving the blonde a moment to collect himself.

Naruto didn't need to be coddled, and Sasuke didn't need to be the one doing the coddling.

He deposited the bag on the old couch and entered the kitchen where he filled a glass with water and placed it on the counter. Supporting his weight on his elbows, he leaned over the kitchen top ready to wait for the Kyuubi-carrier to vacate his room. In the mean time he would simply listen. He could hear Naruto shuffling around in his room, a definite good sign that the blonde was okay if not shaken.

He waited.

'I feel like a fucking idiot.'

**"Because you were caught or because you lost control of yourself?"**

'Urusei1!'

**"What! You had a panic attack. Nothing completely new there."**

'That's not the point, Kyuubi.'

**"Then, please, do tell. What's got your panties in a bunch?"**

'I shouldn't have lost control like that.'

**"So you blew a gasket, big deal."**

'But it was so random.'

**"Kit it happens."**

Naruto enters his bathroom to splash water on his face and neck careful to keep his attire dry. He touches up his make-up and takes some deep breaths to further establish his control. Thank the kami he had actually gotten a good sleep during the day. He couldn't even imagine how he would feel about attending the wedding if he hadn't gotten the opportunity to sleep. He took one last glance at the mirror and put on the most dazzling smile he could manage. It was the perfect imitation of his old stupid smile with a few alterations. Instead of closing his eyes completely he narrowed them to very feline slits and rather than nearly split his face in two with the width of his smile he smirked quite devilishly. No one had ever been able to see through his smile, and he was counting on that knowledge for tonight.

**"Must you really do that?"**

'What would you have me do instead?'

**"Why don't you just act like yourself? You know you're not fooling anyone."**

'It worked before. Why wouldn't it work now?'

**"Nevermind… Just don't come whining to me when you get your face beaten in."**

'Whatever you old fox,' he said exiting the bathroom to go and find Sasuke. He could feel the Uchiha's calm chakra signature exuding annoyance from the kitchen. He rolled his eyes. If the prodigy wanted to be annoyed, let him be annoyed. He found Sasuke hunched over the table in the kitchen, a glass of water in front of him. Neither of them moved once Naruto found his resting place in the doorway.

"Are you functional?"

"Che," the blonde huffed crossing his arms over his chest.

Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes at him.

"Drink this and let's get out of here."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the Uchiha.

"Did you mix it with something?"

"No, dobe. Water helps lessen the affects of stress2. You should drink more of it."

He stood up straight, shaking his head and folding his arms across his chest, and walked to the other side of the table allowing Naruto to finally get a good look at the male in front of him dressed in his formal wear. Never having seen the young Uchiha in anything other than black, white, blue, or gray, he was a bit taken aback by the color scheme.

Sasuke looked a fiery dream in gold, black, and red. Whereas Naruto's kosode was short-sleeved Sasuke's was long-sleeved. They cut off perfectly at his wrists in an oval shape allowing him to rest his hands atop each other within the robe. The design was bold. The burgundy silk was embroidered with a bright blood red threading, much like Naruto's own outfit except Sasuke's traced flames and billows of smoke. The gold threaded through the outfit shaped a long dragon that wrapped and coiled around Sasuke's torso its tail ending at Sasuke's right knee and its head resting atop Sasuke's left pectoral. A simple black silk obi adorned his waist and kept the kimono shut. Naruto could barely make out the ornamental obi-hasami netsuke3 of the Uchiha crest peeking out from the top and bottom of the black cloth. Completing the look was a crimson short-sleeved haori4 that trailed all the way to his ankles.

"Like what you see?"

"You're as egotistical as always, Uchiha."

"Hn," he smirks. "Drink your water."

Naruto does as he's told while Sasuke walks around the counter on his way to the living room. His fingertips barely graze Naruto's shoulder when he whispers huskily into the blonde's ear.

"I must say. I have good taste."

And he walked out of the kitchen ignoring the sputtering blonde in his wake.

1234

"Did you need a break, Dobe?" Sasuke teased back at the blonde no more than ten feet behind him.

"Hn, as if, you jerk," Naruto shot back and returned his gaze to the sight before him. They had passed by the old Academy on their trek to the Hyuuga district. The familiar swing Naruto remembered sitting on as a child was hanging limply off of a single chain, rusty and dirty. The old building itself was close to being condemned. The windows boarded, and the shingles were clean falling off the rooftop. Blue eyes looked upon the sight, forlorn and distant, a single question skimming the surface.

"What happened?"

Sasuke's presence behind him was no shock to Naruto. Neither were the arms that took their incentive to wrap themselves around his waist. He allowed to contact for a little while. The ANBU's voice on the wind, though he would never admit it, soothed his nerves.

"About a year, a shinobi sect began targeting the school. After the death of a student, we decided to move the location to a more secure facility. The transition worked out quite nicely, and the students and faculty are getting along better than ever."

"Where's the new location?"

Naruto turned around to look at the Uchiha. What he saw in those cobalt eyes was a mysterious teasing mirth; the look inspired a frown from the blonde. Sasuke just smirked.

"The Uchiha District."

It had cost almost nothing to renovate a few of the old houses into teaching facilities, and the Uchiha training grounds were so large it was unheard of for the classes to ever see the ANBU Captain even if he were out training on the grounds at the same time as the classes. Security wasn't an issue as Sasuke had already gone through upon his return and reintegrated the systems throughout the district for his own protection and privacy – there had been an incident involving pictures of him being released to the public without his knowledge – damn fan girls… The school's presence didn't bother Sasuke in the slightest. The look on Naruto's face upon receive that information was priceless.

"Come on, Dobe."

Sasuke took Naruto by the arm pulling him forward away from the abandoned building. He gone this direction on purpose hoping Naruto would notice the change in the place where they'd first officially met as a children.

"How much further?"

"Probably another fifteen blocks."

Naruto huffed at him.

"I knew we were taking the long way. If we'd gone through town we would have been there ten minutes ago."

"Relax, Dobe. We're not going to be late, if that's what you're worried about."

"You wanted to show me the school on purpose, didn't you?"

Sasuke silence was all the answer Naruto needed.

"Conniving bastard, trying to make yourself look good," he muttered to himself.

"Heh, hardly…"

"You haven't changed at all."

"That makes one of us at least."

Ouch. The bite to that remark might have left a bruise. If Naruto had bothered to care at all, that is.

"Hurry up, Uzumaki. At the rate you're going we will be late."

"Urusei… Maybe I want to get there late. Give the crowd less time to gawk."

"No one is going to gawk at you, Dobe. You're not that interesting."

"Well, gee. Glad to know your opinion on the matter… Ass…"

Sasuke just laughed.

1234

They arrived at their destination precisely ten minutes before the time the ceremony would be held. The Hyuuga Mansion was decked out in a most miraculous fashion in honor of the main branch's heir getting married. White lilies decorated the banisters throughout the main event court of the Hyuuga Household. An arch signifying where the couple would be standing rested in the center of the circular chamber. Kiba stood leaning against the right support beam speaking to Neji and Shino. He was dressed in his special issue ANBU robes for the ceremony - it was custom for males of the ninja elite to wear the garments representing their ninja classification. Neji and Shino wore robes in the same traditional style of Sasuke and Naruto.

Sasuke took the time to greet Kiba properly while Naruto found himself a seat with a clear view of the pavilion as far to the back as he could find available. (There had to be at least two hundred people already in attendance if not more). He did not want another confrontation with any of the rookie nine to take place at one of the most important events of Hinata's life. So he took his time examining the gathering crowd.

To the left of the altar on the bride's side gathered the Hyuuga clan in their entirety minus – no excuse could be worthy enough for a member to miss the wedding of their heiress. To the right, on Kiba's side gathered the much smaller Inuzuka clan – nin dogs in attendance – along with the rest of their friends, teammates, co-workers, and senseis. (The dogs were all together in the back most region of the seating area. He could even see Pakkun huddling amidst the much larger dogs of the Inuzuka clan).

"Is the ass here?" Kiba had growled to Sasuke as he approached.

"He's well accounted for, trust me." His eyes flicked in a direction over his shoulder so Kiba could pinpoint the location of the insufferable blonde with his own chakra senses.

"Quite unlike what I remember of him to want to keep a low profile," was Neji's input. "…Though his presence here will please Hinata a least."

"Is Sakura anywhere about?"

"Most likely preening over Hinata at the moment. Oh, speak of the devil."

Just then Sakura entered through the main doors. Seeing Sasuke and the others, a smile lit up her face as she waved politely in her bridesmaid kimono before continuing on her way to check something with Tsunade who could be found at the bar having a small drink with Jiraiya. The men watched as the Hokage finished off her wine and headed directly toward them while Sakura hurried out of the room back to Hinata.

"Looks like we're about to start… You'd best find your seat, Uchiha," teased the long-haired male next to him before both he and Shino hurried out of the main room to take their places before the procession.

"Whatever you say, Hyuuga," sneered Sasuke with an equally sarcastic glare before gliding over to where Naruto had already settled himself down to the far back of the room.

"I can see Kiba is ecstatic that I'm here."

"If you weren't, he would've probably dragged you here himself with or without my permission. Or yours for that matter."

"That dog… He's as conceited as ever to think he could drag me anywhere…"

"Hush, the ceremony is starting."

Indeed the procession had begun with Ino and Shino walking side by side followed by Shikamaru and Sakura followed by Lee and Tenten and taking up the tail end were Neji and Hanabi. All of them were dressed in the traditional bridal garb of Japanese weddings in varying patterns of lavender and silver. The ladies took their places seated at the left side of the altar while the men sat to right. Only Hanabi and Shino remained standing in their respective places as best man and maid of honor. Tsunade raised her hands in attention before speaking aloud.

"Please rise for the bride."

A flurry of movement and a shuffling of clothing was all that was needed to cue the reopening of the front doors revealing a beautiful konoichi to the eyes of half the population of Konoha. Hinata wore a gorgeous haltered wedding gown of pure white silk. The neckline was styled to fold in a similar fashion to a kimono as one strap crossed over the other before flowing into the form fitting bodice that continued the Japanese motif in a modern sense of fashion. The horizontal folding of the bodice ended snuggly just below her hip line where the skirt of the dress continued down in a lean line. The beading and floral design cascaded throughout the mermaid style gown be accented all of the shy Hyuuga's hard earned physique. A lavender obi decorated with silver branches and petals adorned her waist, and a sleeved shrug in the same design covered her shoulders out of respect for the formality of the ceremony.

Her long hair was done up in a complex series of ties and knots – a pair of silver chopsticks kept the style in place while lavender ornaments hung from the ends of the hair pieces. Completing her look was a humble spread of black and purple make up around and across her eyes and eyelids and a bright splash of crimson upon her lips.

She was, for lack of a better word, stunning.

Ladies around the room gasped in astonishment while the men in the room looked on respectfully appreciative of the Hyuuga heiress. (If anyone had bothered to look at Kiba, they would have seen the most adorable expression of a star-struck puppy with its mouth gaping open).

Hiashi, dressed in the robes of the Hyuuga clan head, led his daughter down the aisle. Pride emanated from his body in leaps and bounds. Never before had any of the Rookie Nine seen ever seen the man exhibit such unrestrained emotion in regard for either of his daughters. Naruto smiled, seeing the change in the Hyuuga clan. Sasuke leaned over to whisper into the blonde's ear noticing the expression on his face.

"Hinata has made her place within the village. She's a member of my ANBU squad and has taken over her father's duties on the council of elders. Hiashi presented her as his official heir last month, and she has entered her father's training with grace and dignity."

"I can barely recognize her now, when I think of the Hinata from our academy days."

"Mmm, she's come a long way."

They watched as Hiashi shook Kiba's hand before kissing his daughter's forehead and passing her arms to her soon to be husband.

"You know, you had a lot to do with it, Naruto."

Blue eyes looked to the Uchiha in question. Sasuke put a hand on the blonde's shoulder to sit as Tsunade instructed from the pavilion.

"She searched for you as well. She used your disappearance as motivation to get stronger."

Naruto smiled.

"I'm happy for her," he said as Tsunade started to ceremony.

"We gather here today in honor of the most sacred of unions…"

1234

"…By the power vested in me by the Hidden Leaf Village as its Hokage, I now pronounce you man and wife."

Polite Applause

"You may now kiss the bride."

Kiba pulled Hinata to him. Their first kiss as husband and wife was as sweet and chaste as you could imagine…

More Applause

…That is until Kiba decided to break away and howl up to the ceiling before dipping the poor woman backwards and thus making her wrap her arms around the dog nin's neck.

Cat Calls plus Laughter

Hiashi did not look happy while Tsume across the aisle from him was probably cheering the loudest out of the entire bunch.

Hinata, having finally righted herself, took the opportunity to take a playful swipe at the grinning Kiba before grabbing the Inuzuka's hand and leading him back down the aisle and out of the main room. She was smiling the whole way out waving to recognizable faces in the crowd and Kiba shook the hands of the men in reach of him Inuzuka and Hyuuga alike. A whistle was heard outside the hall, signaling an impatient Akamaru to bound down the aisle after his master.

Sasuke stood to leave quickly, beckoning Naruto to follow before anyone decided to find the ever quiet Uchiha and his charge. The blonde however was focused on the interaction taking place between Tsunade, Hinata's father, Hiashi, and Kiba's mother, Tsume. The Hokage called for attention once more.

"I would like to announce that the reception will be held at the Inuzuka compound. Everyone is invited. There will be food, drink, music, and plenty of dancing to go around. Enjoy your night, and please greet the couple on your way out."

On his way out the door, all Naruto could think was, 'now comes the hard part.' Cause honestly, how does one stay anonymous in a room full of people they know?

TBC

1 Urusei - Japanese for Shut Up. Not sure if I spelt it correctly. If I didn't, please correct me.

2 This is a fact. If you have trouble managing stress, drink more water.

3 Netsuke - Ornament worn by a man that is either hung from an obi or attached to the cloth.

4 Haori - A Japanese style robe that goes over a garment and either left open or loosely tied kind of like a vest only it is supposed to trail the floor.


	10. The Reception

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto but there are a few original characters coming out that are my own. Don't worry, they're minor and completely insignificant to the plot. Almost…

**Author's Note:** OMG! You guys have no idea how hard this chapter was to write. I worked on this nonstop for way too long and it took me forever to approve it for publish. I'm glad it's done, and I hope you all enjoy it. The next chapter should be coming a lot sooner than this one. Give me some feedback. Enjoy!

**Goodbye Now, Hello Tomorrow**

**The Reception**

The pounding of the music was giving him a headache. Too many sweaty bodies all convulsing together in such a tight confinement – it was enough to give Sasuke incentive to leave the party. If only he could…

"Where is he?"

"Where is who?"

Sakura looked at him with a tired frustration.

"You know who I'm talking about, Sasuke. Where is Naruto?"

"Around. What's it to you?"

"I was hoping to talk to him."

"Oh yeah, about what, exactly?"

The konoichi looked quite beautiful in the bridal wear picked out for her by Hinata. Her pink hair, grown back out over the past few years was pulled up nicely in a stylish bun. The few fly-aways framing her face bristled as she took a seat next to him delicately pushing the plate Naruto had barely eaten from toward the center of the table.

"I saw you with him in the marketplace last week… I wasn't sure at first, but Lee was telling me about Naruto being back in Konoha and that Hinata had invited him to the wedding. Knowing Naruto, I doubt he would miss it for anything. And seeing as you're here…"

"Okay, Sakura, I understand you know he's here, but what do you want?"

"Look, I know you love him."

"I-"

"Let me finish. It's obvious in how much time you spent searching for him. I want to make sure he knows how much you care."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I'm not the same selfish little girl I used to be. I know act like it sometimes, but that's just my defense. I want you to be happy. Since he's come back, I don't know, it's like you've been more at ease and approachable."

Sasuke just looked at her skeptically.

"Look, I know I may not have acted like it, but I missed him too, Sasuke."

He studied her for a moment judging whether or not she was being honest with him despite the fact that he knew Sakura had never been a liar, at least not a very good one. She just couldn't keep a straight face long enough to win her hand. He could sense she wasn't being completely honest with him, but there was a calmness about her that eased his suspicion of her intentions.

He spared a brief glance at the dance floor, indicating Naruto's direction.

"He's dancing with Hinata."

Somehow he managed to control his features as the pinkette leapt over to him and planted a high pitched kiss on his cheek before bouncing off to the dance floor toward the most popular blonde in attendance tonight. Maintaining his dignity, Sasuke slumped back into his seat, took a long swing on the champagne in his glass, and raised himself back out of the chair to follow after his excitable former teammate but was intercepted before he even reached the dance floor.

"Uchiha!"

"What do you want, Hyuuga?"

Neji gave Sasuke a deadly look of annoyance before answering.

"We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Uninvited guests."

1234

It was unnerving to Naruto.

People were murmuring all around them, trying to figure out who it was that was currently dancing with the bride. Kiba, who had left them to their own devices, was currently hovering nearby dancing with Hanibi keeping a close, possessive eye on the pair. Chouji, Kakashi, Iruka, Kurenai, Tenten, and Shino were nearby as well assisting Kiba in a sort of crowd control and acting as human shields to keep gawkers away from getting a clear view of Naruto, a small favor the blonde was exceedingly grateful for.

"I'm glad you're back, Naruto."

Hinata looks radiant in the night light. The large tent that hosted the reception, though beautifully decorated with white trees, flowers, and crystal, was but a background in comparison to the gorgeous bride now currently dancing at the center of the floor with a slightly reluctant Naruto. His hand tentatively place appropriately at her waist was tentative in its touch, but the small hand nestled in his larger palm held on with confidence and enjoyment as she followed Naruto through some basic steps.

"I'm glad I was able to come to your wedding, Hinata."

She smiled that same brilliant smile at him that reaching into her eyes and projected farther than any light could. Naruto could never understand how Hinata's could be so expressive and open. Obviously something to do with the byakugan, the entire Hyuuga family had way never showing emotion through their eyes. Neji was notorious for such a talent, but even Hanabi's eyes never gave an inch one way or the other along the feelings spectrum. But Hinata was different. Her eyes could carry the world in them as they did now, sparkling with laughter and happiness as they danced. Naruto's heart couldn't help but clench in sorrow for the pain he had put this woman through in his absence. The horror she must have felt upon finding his apartment empty and in tatters.

"I'm sorry, Hinata."

Her expression displayed shock at his sudden apology, those depthless opal eyes widening ever just a fraction.

"For what, Naruto?"

"For everything I may have put you through these last few years. I'm sorry you had to be the one to find my apartment the way it was. I'm sorry I made you suffer."

Hinata looked deep into those rich blue eyes. So much time had passed since she had last seen those eyes. Studying the changes in their texture and color, she barely stopped herself from weeping as they spun in a circle and Naruto offered her a turn. She pirouetted away from him and came right back into his arms hugging his torso close to hers as she took in the warmth of his body. The heat of the Kyuubi kept in check beneath the surface touched her skin, and she knew this was Naruto, similar but different from the child she fell in love with so many years ago. His arms wrapped around her as they continued their slow dance around the floor and she felt safe. Naruto was back and Konoha would be a safe place again. Naruto was back, and though she knew he would never be hers, she had him back in her life.

"You have nothing to apologize for,"

"B-bu-"

She cut him off with her fingertips.

"What matters is that you're back. You're here. You're home. That's all that matters."

She tucked her chin into his chest so as to hide her blush from him. She may have been a bit too bold saying that out loud, but he needed to hear it from someone before he up and left again.

Naruto smiled, it was small and hardly noticeable, but it was a smile, and rested his chin on Hinata's head for a moment letting the music, her scent, and the touch of her skin against his fill his senses. They danced just like that a while longer before, Hinata pulled away at the end of the song they had been dancing to a radiant smile on her face.

"Hate to interrupt, but do you mind if I cut in?"

Naruto smirked at the peeved brunette in front of him while Hinata just giggled at the antics of her new husband.

"Not at all, Kiba."

Her delicate hand in his, he bestowed a chaste kiss on those small fingertips before relinquishing his hold on them. She gave him a cute curtsy before taking her husband's hand and being flitted away to another part of the dance floor. Naruto smiled after them a moment before deciding to turn back around and find Sasuke. Instead he found himself looking directly into the mint green eyes of Sakura.

"Naruto…" she gasped in surprise at finding him so quickly. Wide green eyes looked him up and down taking in every inch of her old teammate as he was now and all her carefully collected confidence melted away at the vision before her. Lean muscle, piercing features, beautiful tanned skin and an ethereally enticing aura. Here was a man in place of the teen Sakura had remembered, but she should have expected as much. The three year separation that allowed him to grow from child to young man had been a miraculous growing period, it would only be fitting that the transition from teenager to adult would be even more drastic. For the first time in Sakura's life, she felt a desire for this man.

"Sakura."

Blue eyes followed the up and down motion of her jugular as she swallowed in her nervousness. He could practically smell the sweat rolling off her skin in fear, anxiety, and something else he'd never smelt on Sakura. Was that arousal? A deadly combination if you'd asked anyone. The emotions coursed over him in waves enticing the demon into a barely contained frenzy within. Naruto could practically hear the Kyuubi gnashing its teeth and the succulent offered standing before it. Sakura visibly flinched when Naruto's muscles tensed trying to calm the beast before anything got out of hand. Naruto shook his head at her, letting her know it wasn't her causing the reaction, at least not directly; she seemed to understand and proceeded in her task.

"Care to dance, Naruto?"

He nodded thankful that she managed to squash her insecurities about the situation long enough to allow him to calm down. He offered his hand to her which she took and he led her across the dance floor to find a space where they might be able to talk and dance at the same time. She stepped into his form just as the music picked up into a fast paced dance beat. Her hips took control from there and they were off in a sea of bodies moving in tandem with the other groups and couples surrounding them.

Neither of them spoke for the longest time. Neither dared to even look at the other for what seemed like an eternity. Both waiting for the smothering discomfort to ebb away on its own before rising to begin the confrontation that was surely about to happen. Rather wishful thinking, but at least they could both demonstrate good manners by acting as such… Inevitably, the silence was broken… by Naruto, no less.

"How have you been Sakura?"

"Oh you know me, Naruto. Same old same old."

"So what's on your mind?"

She gave him a puzzled expression that was comically innocent and extremely hard to believe.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I believe there is something you wish to say to me."

"What makes you think that?"

Naruto gave her a look that said quite plainly, 'don't play with me.'

She relented.

"Kay fine. I do have something to ask you."

"And what is that?"

She worried her bottom lip for several seconds. It was a gesture that not only emphasized her nervousness but it was meant to entice him. There had been many a time when a younger Naruto had gone completely starry eyed at the small movement, but that young boy, as we've already established, never really did exist, did he?

Noticing his complete lack of reaction to her antics, she furrowed her brow at him in minor frustration before finally answering his question.

"Why did you come back?"

She sounded strangely shy. Naruto didn't answer for quite a few seconds. Sakura studied him as his eyes glazed over in thought whilst he peered at something over her head. It was amazing how Naruto's eyes had always had the ability to look fox-like to an outside observer whether you knew the reason for it or not. At this particular moment, Sakura wanted those eyes trained on her. She didn't understand it, but she wanted Naruto's attention on her at the moment.

She reached out and placed a hand on a scarred cheeked. She retreated slightly when his gazed snapped instantly to her but didn't give up her position letting her hand glide over the skin of his face and neck before it trailed to graze light touches on his chest.

'His skin is so warm and inviting. Nothing like Sasuke's,' she couldn't help but think.

"Naruto…"

"I had to."

She looked at him puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

Naruto's gaze wandered once again to open tent flap they had found themselves near. Something felt wrong.

"It was just the right time."

"I don't know what you mean."

Naruto continued to look outside the tent as if he hadn't heard her at all. Sakura reached out to touch him again, but his hand intercepted hers and gently lowered it before letting go. She pouted at him wanting his undivided attention. It was just as she reached for him again that Naruto pulled completely away from Sakura and headed for the opening of the tent. She followed after him both curious as to what he was doing and anxious to continue their conversation.

"Naruto…"

"Shh…" he shushed her gently. "Something's not right."

A rustle in the nearby bushes called his attention for just a second before Naruto pulled Sakura behind him and he jumped forward just in time to tackle a stranger to the ground. They wrestled for several moments before Naruto kicked the nin off of him and onto his back in a dirt patch. Sometime during the commotion, Sakura scampered off to check for any other ninja around the area and probably to find Sasuke.

Standing up from ground, the two stepped around each other for a time neither making any move to attack. That is until Naruto got fed up with the light-footed game. Naruto threw the first and last punch, it landed directly in the mystery ninja's stomach with enough force to knock him off of his feet and into dreamland. Naruto dusted off his hands before resting them on his hips and saying.

"Well that was easy en-"

To bad he was cut off by fist flying straight for his cheek. The punch never landed as Naruto jumped out of the way delivering a punishing blow to the back of the shadow clones head only to dodge again as sharp blade came screaming toward his throat. It would seem that this ninja wanted to dance a little longer.. Naruto smirked his reply a predatory glint in his eye.

1234

From the time Neji had told him about the situation, Sasuke hadn't stopped running. In the span of ten minutes he had changed clothes, donned his mask, and drawn his sword before proceeding to tear his way through the surrounding forest looking for the invading shinobi Neji had told him about. They had been sensed crossing the barrier that had been set up by branch house members of the Hyuuga clan. Already, Ino had intercepted one of the invaders. Entering his mind, she had discovered that the ninja were from a small village on the outskirts of Lightning country called Fog. There were five in the attacking party as far as she could discover including the already defeated shinobi. Their target for the evening: our lovely bride Hinata Hyuuga. The last fact was enough to make Neji grimace at the look on Sasuke's face and the orders that had followed quietly out of the Uchiha's mouth.

"Catch them and keep them away from Hinata."

It was absolutely imperative that Hinata remain unaware of the situation. The more oblivious she was the better. Kiba, he couldn't have given a flying fuck about whether or not he knew of the panic taking place outside the reception, but this was Hinata's day and he owed it to her to make sure that her wedding ran smoothly and without a hitch. Group of attacking ninja bursting in on the party – that was pretty big hitch. One everyone currently involved in the situation wanted to avoid at all costs not only for the sake of the bride but also for the sake of their own skins.

Ino, who had failed to bring a change of clothes, had ripped her dress up a considerable amount, some on purpose some by accident, in order to perform her various jutsu against the enemy she took down. Neji had changed out of his formal attire. Shikamaru was reasonably disheveled from his running about in the standard issue uniform that was obviously not designed for actual fighting. They were all currently chasing after the other four nin trying to beat them to the tent.

And to say Sasuke was annoyed would be an understatement. What was it with idiots always trying intrude upon the Hyuuga family? It was just like that time when Hinata and Neji were just toddlers and they'd tried to kidnap Hinata to no effect. When were these people going to learn?

And on top of that here he was trying to keep the situation under wraps but already he could see two people exiting the tent curious as to what was going on. Naturally, it was Sakura and Naruto. Those two could never just leave well enough alone. He could see them plain as day with his Sharingan activated as it was. Then he saw Naruto dive for the ninja closest to the tent hiding in the brush. The two wrestled on the ground trading blows.

Sasuke kept an eye on the blonde as the brunette leapt for an enemy that was approaching them from the side. He drew his katana slicing deep into the flesh of his enemy's leg. The nin was down and unable to move but still very much alive. Sasuke shot an order toward Ino not to let this one out of his sight for interrogation purposes. If he died before that from bleeding out from his femoral artery, well too bad; they still had four more available to them, he thought before returning his attention to the open flap of the tent. Sakura was nowhere in sight, but Naruto was still well within view though now on the far side of the tent from where he was standing, and what the Uchiha saw taking place was enough to have him rolling his eyes. The blonde appeared to be _playing_ with his opponent, dodging in out of the way of the nin's sword and only returning blows on occasion. Though those hits were nowhere near as potent as what Naruto could deal when he felt so inclined to cause serious damage.

Sasuke flew at the blonde's opponent, knocking the ninja out of his way with a ferocious kick to the side before running to the tent flap to enter the reception. He turned around and sent a stern look in Naruto's direction while the blood red wheels of the Sharingan rotated. Naruto just sent the most shit-eating grin he could muster back at him red glinting in eyes with pleasure at the impromptu battle taking place at the moment. He also seemed quite pleased with himself especially now that he knew he had annoyed Konoha's ANBU captain without even trying.

"Dobe, stop playing around and do something constructive, will you?"

Naruto rolled his eyes at him as the shinobi approached the blonde from behind with a means to attack.

"Whatever, Teme," he said delivering a sharp elbow his attacker's jaw line. Poor guy never stood a chance. Sasuke nodded heading into the tent where all the ruckus (aka: party) was still taking place, Naruto close behind him.

"So what's going on?"

"As I'm sure you've noticed, we're under attack. Their target is Hinata."

"How many?"

"Two more to go. Where's Sakura? I saw her with you outside."

The aforementioned konoichi's voice broke answered his question.

"I'm right here, and we only have one more left to track down."

The two men looked her up and down. Between now and the last time they had seen her, she had pulled on her gloves. There was a rip along the seam of her dress so she could kick and her hair had a few new decorations in it courtesy of the surrounding foliage. A glace around her revealed an unconscious fog ninja piled on top of the Naruto's latest opponent. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uchiha, the last one has made it inside the tent." Neji's voice cut through the music.

"Shit." Sasuke gave one last glance toward Sakura before turning to leave. "Keep it up," he said as he walked away leaving a starry eyed Sakura in his wake. "Neji, Naruto…"

The pair reluctantly followed after the captain paying no heed to the konoichi who still had not moved from her spot. Inner Sakura had taken the opportunity to swoon beneath the surface at the "compliment" just given. It wasn't much she knew, but from Sasuke, a girl's gotta take what a girl can get. It took her a good ten seconds to realize that both Sasuke and Naruto had both disappeared from her sight. 'Ah man…' she thought before heading back outside to find the others.

"We need to find Hinata," Sasuke growled over the pounding of the music. "Neji, you find Kiba. Make him aware of the situation."

The Hyuuga flitted away to find the inu-nin while Sasuke and Naruto separated to find the bride. Hinata was actually on the opposite end of the dance floor with her father, and if anyone dared to say that she was oblivious to the goings on outside her own reception, they would be forever shamed by the assumption. Yeah, this bride knew exactly what was going on and she was ready. Her byakugan had been activated for the last five minutes as her father had attempted to lead her around the dance floor and out of the reception tent for her "safety". Needless to say, Hinata was having none of it; it was her night and she was not going to let the stranger that was currently trying to sneak up on her to ruin the event she had been planning for nearly a year. (Apparently no one told the fog nin about the byakugan's 360 degree range of vision.)

"Dad, could you hold this for me? Thanks," she asked pushing her clutch into her father's reaching hands just as the shinobi pulled out a senbon needle to throw at her. I'm happy to announce however that the needle never hit its target.

A burst of white light and the invading ninja went flying backwards followed closely by Hinata. Byakugan activated with one hand hiking up her dress and the other poised for attack, Hinata unleashed her gentle fist on the poor soul before her. A whirlwind encompassed the two hiding the brief fight from the many onlookers concerned for the safety of the bride. When the jutsu's effects finally cleared a round of applause sounded.

At the center of attention, you could see Hinata standing tall as beautiful as she had been since the ceremony. Her hair was completely immaculate and her dress showed no sign of the disturbance that happened just a second ago. Her opponent, however, was completely incapacitated on the floor next to her – Go Hinata.

Sasuke walked over, placing a hand on Hinata's shoulder in recognition before scooping up the assailant and disappearing from view. Hinata clapped her hands together and addressed her guests.

"Sorry about that interruption. Shall we carry on?"

A chorus of cheers went up around the room as she grabbed her shocked husband and led him back onto the dance floor just as the band struck the music back up full swing. In the excitement, no one noticed the blue eyes watching with quiet appreciation of Hinata's abilities. No one noticed when those same blue eyes took in the whole room seeing one familiar face after another having the time of their lives celebrating young love. And no one noticed when the blonde slipped outside the tent and into the night.

1234

Toshio Yuichi was hiding out in a tree outside the reception they had been trying to get into to kidnap the Hyuuga princess. Now all he could see was his comrades unconscious in a messy pile outside the tent. Now was he going to try and complete the mission? Hell no. He saw these Konoha ninja could do. Even the damn bride had all but torn apart his commander without even breaking a sweat. When he got back to Fog, he was going to talk to the missions' board because when their client had said the Hyuuga heiress was "harmless" as a shinobi they had been dead wrong. And then the client had asked for another Konoha shinobi to be assassinated. A shinobi that had not been seen nor heard from in nearly six years.

Seriously, how much more ridiculous can people get.

He was ready to go home, but just as he turned around to leap out of his tree, a man entered his line of sight that had him doing a double take. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, and three whisker marks on each side of his face, this was their other target, the jinchuuriki to the Nine Tailed Demon Fox. Another followed the demon carrier outside, one he now recognized as a member of ANBU. He watched to two trade words for a while. Their conversation seemed simple at first but gradually became more and more heated. The two were arguing about something and it was starting to get serious.

Toshio had started to lean forward in the tree and nearly fell clean out of his hidey-hole when he snapped a tree branch under his weight. He caught his breath and his eyes darted back to pair praying the two nin hadn't heard him. A sigh of relief… They hadn't. They were too consumed in their own conversation to notice. Fortunate for Toshio, but the mistake could prove deadly for the two shinobi.

Maybe he could salvage at least half of this mission.

TBC

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